Exact Change
by Ozzallos
Summary: Nabiki Tendo gets a glimps of the future and it isn't pretty. Forewarned, she'll do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of her family and home, even if it means destroying herself to do it. Ranma.Nabiki match up, COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

Exact Change  
By Ozzallos

**Chapter 001**

_March 8th, 1989_

**"W**ell everybody, dig in!"

Dig in was as apt descriptive as any, Ranma Saotome mused as he eyed the plate in front of him. It could have been meatloaf. But then again, it could have been chicken. Or a small furry animal that had somehow met its untimely demise in the Tendo kitchen. It could have been any of these things, but unfortunately Akane was insisting it was yakisoba. Nor was this observation lost on the rest of the family, as it was now the second time Akane was offering the family the privilege of 'digging in' without any takers.

"Why aren't you eating, Ranma?"

It never ceased to baffle him, quite frankly, that while nobody else was eating, he was always the one singled out. Wait a minute, let me count again—One, two, three, yes! _Four_ people sitting at the table not touching the mystery meal on their plates. But who was it that wasn't eating? Ranma Saotome, heir to the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, of course. A quick look around the table told him that nobody would step to his defense anytime soon. Damn. Might as well get the ball rolling then.

Ranma looked up at Akane, noticing the sweet smile. Heh. Yeah. Sweet. Who ever said that a woman's place is in the kitchen obvious had never visited this particular household or met the smiling girl. But he knew what was behind that smile. And he wasn't looking forward to seeing it.

"Uh, you know… I had a lot for lunch…" Ranma produced his own weak smile, only to watch Akane's leak away.

"You were fighting with Ryoga all lunch."

Oooh, ouch. She's right. Um, time for the backup plan. We _do_ have a backup plan, right? "I meant I had something on my way home!"

Akane's eyes narrowed dangerously, smile all but gone now. "Aren't you going to at least _try_ it?"

Hahahaha. That's a good one. Let's see here… Try Akane's- ahem –yakisoba or face what's behind the smile. Jeez, talk about your tough choices, Ranma grumbled internally. Well I _am_ her fiancée I guess. _And_ the official Tendo sacrificial lamb. Sure, why not? It's been a good life. Well, not really, but… Ranma flashed a bright smile and snatched his chopsticks up. He convinced a piece of the… 'mash' to separate from the main body with a few well placed stabs and held it gingerly between the tips. The black haired pigtail boy brought it up to eye level and examined it thoughtfully. Nope, still didn't have a clue what it was. He could tell what it _wasn't_, however, and that was yakisoba. Chinese Amazon assassins? No sweat. Megalomaniac demi-gods? Done that. Akane Tendo's cooking? Freakin' martial arts kryptonite.

Ranma popped the morsel in his mouth and Akane's smile brightened considerably. Then he chewed. And chewed. And chewed some more. In fact with each repetition, Akane's formerly bright smile faltered further. And the taste was amazing. It was like something between a peppered cinder block and badly flavored mud …with the redeeming qualities of neither. Since the chewing having no effect, Ranma simply opted to swallow the bite whole. God only knew what it was going to do to him down there later on tonight, but there was one thing he knew for certain—

"You're getting better!"

What remained of Akane's smile evaporated. "And just what do you mean by that!"

Soun, Genma, and Nabiki began to edge away from the table. Ranma knew what they were doing. They were betting that he wouldn't be able to successfully defuse the situation where upon the family would make their quick getaways in the ensuing chaos. Well I'll show them, Ranma thought smugly. Cowards.

"I'm just saying that it's much better than last time." Ranma smiled and was dismayed to watch a flickering blue aura snap into place around the girl.

"You didn't like my last meal either!" Akane was up on her feet now and the remainder of the family was leading off from the table as if they were about to steal a base.

"Now I didn't say that…!" Was it true? Yes. Did I say that? Hell no. That had been The Night of the Living Slab. He had been pretty sure it was some sort of meat byproduct. And colorful. Specifically, multi-colorful. A veritable rainbow of flavors, even. None of them good.

"OH, and I suppose you're just SO much better of a cook than I am!" Akane took a menacing step forward, wielding a soupspoon menacingly.

"Hey now!"

First came the spoon. That was relatively easy to deflect. But the table itself was another matter. That action by itself allowed the family to make a break for it as their helpings of mash went flying. Along with the table. Into Ranma. Who was only in pain long enough to pass out. With her arch-nemesis fallen and the rest of the family fled, Akane Tendo stomped off outside to destroy some bricks as a further anger management relief.

Ranma counted to thirty and cracked an eye open. All clear. Sometimes the best tactic in situations like these was to just play dead. He looked at the mess of plates and cups surrounding him …And on him. Dammit, Akane… Ranma righted the table and started to pick up dishes, as everybody else had since deserted the scene of the crime.

Well _I'm_ not gonna leave all this stuff for Kasumi, he thought. Especially when she's on her first official date with the ol' Doc. Last thing she needs right now it to feel tied to _this_ place.

* * *

"Let's see," Nabiki Tendo opened a green notebook, studying it from her bed. Akane sat at her desk, watching her intently. "Looks like his morning was pretty mundane. Lunch, fight with Ryoga, won. Fight with Kuno in sixth period, both ejected from class. Hmm, here's something interesting…" 

Nabiki trailed her finger down the open page and Akane leaned forward. "What is it?"

The older sister arched an eyebrow. "Four-twelve p.m., ran over by Shampoo's bike, proceeds to hang on him, struggle ensues. Four-fifteen, intercepted my Mousse. Four-sixteen, Ukyo attacks Mousse. Hmmm… Fast forward a bit here. Fighting, fighting, figh-- Ah." Nabiki found a new entry. "Four-twenty five, Mousse rendered unconscious by Ranma. Four-twenty six, Ranma breaks up Shampoo and Ukyo on promise to spend unspecified time with both."

Akane gasped, causing Nabiki to look up. "Damn two-timing pervert!"

"Now, now, A-chan." Nabiki admonished. "Nothing here to support that yet. Next, um, four-thirty five attacked by Kodachi. Four-thirty five and forty two seconds, Kodachi kicked into high ballistic arc…" She continued to scan the information. "Four-fifty two, Shampoo and Ukyo fight and finally four-fifty five Ranma leaves both fighting, contact lost at high speeds."

Nabiki folded the notebook shut. "Well, there you have it."

"I knew it!" Akane fumed angrily staring at her sister.

"Knew what?" Nabiki asked. It was actually a rhetorical question. Her sister's thought process was about as transparent as a pane of glass.

"He's a two timing pervert womanizer!" The little sister bolted up from the desk chair. "I swear I'm going to—"

"Do nothing." Nabiki ordered flatly. Akane glared at her. "Look, you're paying me to keep track of him, right? Make sure he's not dating behind your back?" The youngest Tendo supplied the barest of nods and she continued, "Well I've got one of my best contacts watching him. He's not _doing_ anything, Akane."

"But Ukyo and Shampoo!"

"He _ran_ from them." Nabiki shook her head, exasperated. "There's no conclusions to-"

"Oh, so you too, huh!" Now Akane was dangerously stomping across her room. "How much did Ranma buy YOU with!"

Nabiki shook her head. "It's time for you to go, sis. Go cool off."

The little sister cut her next retort short, opting for a menacing glare instead. With a snort of contempt, she whirled around on a heel and stalked out of Nabiki's room with the slam of her door.

Nabiki stared at the door behind her and shook her head. Part of her wished Saotome would just go to bed with her and get it over with. That'd probably take the edge off and save them all a ton of headaches and bills. The other part was all business. An unwed Saotome kept the profits rolling in quite nicely and she was always amazed at how the Fiancée Wheel of Destruction never quite came apart at the seams. Nabiki clearly recognized the uneasy balance between its damage and profit potential, and so long as one outpaced the other, she'd more than willing to play the all angles.

That is unless Akane's terminal case of PMS got any worse, Nabiki amended. It was starting to get too dicey playing her sister from that angle because of the emotional instability. If there was one thing she knew about The Game, it was that spying, blackmail and extortion were knives that would just as soon cut the owner as the person they were aimed at. Push too many buttons or in the wrong order and the knife turned too happily spill the blood of wielder. She had come close, Nabiki remembered, very close to bleeding herself once. She was lucky she had inherited mother's quick mind and wit, because that'd been the only way to extricated herself from what was a potentially compromising- and painful –situation. After that, she'd devoted herself to The Game just like Saotome did The Art, dancing that razor edge tightrope of public servant versus enemy of the state. And now all that experience told her one thing about Akane…

…She was on the edge.

* * *

The sounds of close quartered combat echoed across the property of the Tendo Dojo as father and son brawled with one another. Kasumi hummed a content melody while she prepared breakfast, unaware that her tune had come into an odd harmony with the two battled back and forth outside. The sun crawled lazily past the horizon and now the rest of the Dojo awakened. First Soun Tendo followed shortly by Akane. Nabiki was always the last, sometimes missing breakfast entirely in deference to beauty sleep. Today, however, she set her alarm. Sometimes gathering information required sacrifice, and she wanted to be there for this morning's conflict resolution… Or total lack thereof. Neither had spoken to the other for the rest of the night and she suspect that Ranma had taken great pains to avoid the girl entirely. 

Breakfast was inevitably called and everybody found their places at the table. It would have been a normal breakfast to the average observer… But Nabiki knew there was nothing normal about this breakfast. For all the idle chitchat and witty banter between father and son, there was a cold frost floating between Ranma and Akane. Both were talking to everyone else… Except one another, which was bad, Nabiki observed quietly. Normally one would have opened up for the other by now and dialogue would have been reestablished. Not today. Today, that shield of ice willingly separated both. That would be bad for profits. Well, good for the short term if she could keep everybody guessing- and betting –on just what the problem was and how long it would take to fix it and who got hurt in the process, but long term, the fallout would be… Messy. Time for some strategic intervention.

"So, Kasumi," Nabiki began with a pleasant smile. "How was your date with the good Doctor last night?"

Idle chatter immediately stopped in favor of the new topic of conversation. Kasumi's first date was by far more interesting than the normal breakfast banter and all eyes instantly locked on to the woman in question. The mildest look of annoyance crossed the sister's face, causing Nabiki to wince mentally. I know you want to keep your private life private, but this is for the greater good. Nabiki was now hoping that her budding open romance with Tofu would give this couple the kick-start they need at best or melt the frost between them at worst.

Kasumi was just about to evade the question when she caught something in her sister's eyes. Seriousness. Hmmmm… Even as she contemplated that, she watched them flick from her to the Akane's end of the table. What…? The pieces fell into place. Ranma and Akane must be having it out so Nabiki was hoping to… Very sneaky, Sister. Kasumi let a knowing smile go in her direction and decided she would play along. Not with too many details, but enough to maybe help things out. But she was surprised. If the two had fought, especially over Akane's cooking, there would have been a mess waiting for her. There was none last night, so she had assumed there had miraculously been no problems. Oh how wrong I must be, she thought.

"Oh, the date went very well." Kasumi smiled warmly. "We walked along the river and went to the new restaurant on the east side. Then we sat out and looked at the stars…"

Nabiki bit her tongue. She had to. The merciless pumping of details could wait. "Maybe you two should go there sometime." She made the remark to Akane and Ranma, sounding sufficiently off hand as not to sound like meddling. Silence. Ooh, this is not good.

Kasumi saw it too. "Yes, they do have great seafood. The lobster is wonderful." Now she mirrored her sister's thoughts. Not good at all. Maybe a different tact was in order. "Thank you for cleaning up after dinner Akane. I appreciate not having to come home to clean up after my wonderful date."

Akane turned a bright shade of pink and squirmed nervously in her seat. If her reaction puzzled Kasumi, then Ranma's outright shocked her as he lifted himself up from the table with an unreadable mask across his face. He grabbed his book bag easily and slid out the door without so much as a word.

Not good _at all_.

* * *

**Chapter 002**

_March 9th, 1989, Present_

**I**f breakfast was the frost, then lunch was the blizzard warning. Nabiki now watched the pair from across the campus and knew that the house was going to be settling in for a cold war between the prospective couple, as neither had voluntarily come within ten foot of the other all day. Now she was taking bets on just how long the Akane-Ranma blackout would last and who would be the first to make up. The record, she knew was four days and she silently hoped it didn't go beyond a week. After that, her bets took a decidedly negative twist, normally along the lines of which fiancée would take Ranma in first and such. She could still make money off of them and pay the bills, but it was not good for long-term stability.

But for now, that could wait.

Profit-wise, the day had gone fairly well, but her next appointment was a loan. Loans were a mixed bag as far as Nabiki was concerned. On one hand, you have a large outgo of money, which was never a good thing, but you stood to make a profit on the interest collected at the end of the term. Of course, you had to ensure the person you loaned money to was reliable and that they would actually pay you back, but that's where collateral came in.

"Thank you for meeting with us, Ms. Tendo…" The Sophmore boy in front of her said. He had dark hair, a large nose and glasses. His current fashion statement consisted of a white lab coat. In other words, he was the quintessential Science Club nerd. Not that she cared. Money was money regardless of the source. "Our intermediately has already briefed you on the details, I assume?"

"Indeed he has, Club Treasurer Cho," Nabiki looked around the lab. She had been in this very room several times throughout her high school achedamia, but never this deserted. The only people who were present were Cho and his female assistant, who stood a full foot shorter, had brown hair and also wore glasses. Hers were almost as thick as Mousse's. Nabiki was _sure_ that had to be a requirement to join the club. "Though I must say, the size of the loan you're requesting is quite… healthy."

"As healthy as out ambition to win the next city wide science expo!" The assistant piped and Nabiki frowned.

"Right. As are all of the other schools, I'm sure." The assistant's smile turned upside-down, Nabiki's point driven home. Furikan lost last year's expo. Its club hadn't even placed in the top ten. "Of course, you do realize it will take about two weeks to assemble the funds. Two hundred thousand yen doesn't just grow on trees."

The treasurer nodded soberly. "Of course. That will be more than enough time."

"And…" Nabiki's cool gaze narrowed on the two and they froze like deer caught in headlights. "…There is the question of collateral."

"Cu..Cu.. Collateral?" He stuttered, as if not believing she would broach such a topic.

"Of course collateral." She countered. "As the lender, I have to take into consideration that your science team has not placed within the top ten for five years running. Lose a sixth and your school budget is likely to shrink. Tell me who will get the short end of the proverbial stick here?"

"But we don't have…" The Treasure's voice trailed off, his face turning into a frown as well.

Nabiki folded her arms across her blue school uniform. "Then you don't have a loan."

The two club members eyes widened suddenly and began whispering furiously into one another's ear. Despite this foolproof security measure against eavesdropping, Nabiki was still snatching bits and pieces along the way.

"But we need the money!"

"Do you have collateral? I sure don't!"

"You know we can't finish the project!"

"Fine, but where's our collateral?"

The two stopped suddenly, finally realizing that their conversation was quite audible and looked at Nabiki, who simply smiled knowingly at them. Suddenly, the assistant slapped her fist into a palm. "I've got it!" She was out of the room in a flash and back in within minutes with what looked like a digital tablet PC, though much chunkier in design. Wires sprouted from it at weird angles and its chassis lines were interrupted by the occasional extrusion and various buttons.

"YOU CAN'T GIVE HER THAT!" The Treasurer raged upon seeing what the assistant had retrieved.

"I don't see why not. We both know it doesn't work. Never will." The female assistant shrugged. "Besides, we finish paying the loan and she gives it back."

"But… But…"

"Now why would I take collateral on something that doesn't work?" Nabiki interjected. It looked interesting enough. But it didn't work and thus stood next to no chance of making her money.

"Because regardless of its functional status, some of the parts inside are worth ten times the amount of the loan." The assistant stated factual, laying the tablet on the bench next to Nabiki. "If we default, you'll easily get your money's worth just in taking it apart."

"Ok, what is it then?" The question may have been irrelevant since the item was non functional, but she was curious anyway.

"An Axial-Temporal Wavefront Transponder." She stated proudly, then seeing Nabiki's confusion, translated, "A time machine."

Now the Tendo smirked. "You _do_ know that lying to me tends to be _very_ bad for your financial future…?"

"Unfortunately she's absolutely serious." The Club Treasurer sighed. "Our physics team wasted a good chunk of our budget on this useless paperweight. I've been trying to convince the President to have it liquidated for parts, but…"

"Serious times call for serious measures, Cho." The assistant stated matter-of-factly.

"Dammit. Ok."

Nabiki now seriously considered the offer. Normally she wouldn't touch the deal with a ten-foot pole, except for the fact that she was an excellent judge of character. These two weren't lying. Neither were they exactly eager to part with the device, regardless of its operational status. She was betting if she _did_ have it checked out, the parts would make up for the loss too.

"Ok. I'll take your, er, time machine as collateral." Then she looked at them both with an amused grin. "But come on. Aren't time machines supposed to be… huge? I mean, I would rather have a Delorian as collateral."

"Delorian…? OH! Don't even get me started on that movie." The Treasurer's face turned sour. "Too many plot holes and quantum mechanics violations in it…"

The Assistant cut into his brooding. "What he's trying to say is that you really don't need something big to _just _time travel. Or at least that's the premise we were working on. Now if you wanted to do time and space, that's a whole other ball game." She explained. "Hmmm… I don't even know where to begin. Do you have any knowledge of particle physics?"

"Nope." Nabiki shook her head. Wasn't looking to have a quick lesson in it either, so she picked up the tablet and examined it. "I assume you can travel into the past. What about the future?" She was just imagining the profit potential to be made. It _was_ fun to daydream on occasion.

"Well… Yes and no." Cho replied with an uncertain expression on his face. Nabiki waited for him to explain, if for not other reason than to satisfy her own curiosity on why she couldn't someday bet on the lottery with future knowledge.

"The biggest problem with traveling to the future is your own mindset." He explained, tapping on the side of his head with a finger. "It's all predicated on what you do when you come back from your trip that counts."

"Right." Nabiki nodded easily. "If I see the future and change my actions…"

"…The future is no longer valid." Cho finished. "Or at least parts of it. Big events beyond your control will likely remain the same. Likewise, if you decide to never return to the time you left, it buggers up all the equations. We assume it's just like you just disappeared for that amount of time until we catch up with _you_."

"Ok then, how about the past?" Nabiki poked one of the tablet buttons. Seems dead enough. "The whole 'kill my father' bit."

This time Cho winced. "That's _so_ cliché."

"But accurate." The assistant pointed out.

"True." He shrugged and continued. "Well, three theories there. First, you create an impossible paradox that effectively tears you to primordial energy." Nabiki blanched. "Frankly, we tend to doubt this one because if time travel is even possible, most of us bet on human nature."

"In other words, we'd be too stupid _not_ to do it at least once." Nabiki grasped the concept easily enough. Human nature was how she made money.

Cho seemed surprised she comprehended it so quickly and continued. "Exactly. Since time doesn't seem to be falling apart around us, there's the second theory that says you continue to exist but reformat a 'new' future based on your actions. Finally, there's the one where you create a new timeline totally independent of this one for your new future, splintering from the exact moment you change it.

"So I would live in the new splinter?"

"That's the theory at any rate." The Assistant confirmed, brushing a brown lock of hair from her glasses. "We all remain unaffected but you get to live in you new reality with exact duplicates of all of us."

Nabiki was getting thoroughly intrigued by this. It had nothing to do with money at this point, but she did so love mental challenges. "Ok, but what about meeting me, myself and I?"

Cho scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, you either destroy yourself on contact or shake hands with your identical twin."

"_Or…_" The assistant began and the Treasurer glared at her.

"Oh, get serious!" He snapped and she produced a wide grin. "That movie sucked too!"

The argument began in earnest over a move called "Trancers" and Nabiki took that as her cue to leave, scooping up the non functional time machine into her arms and proceeded to her next appointment.

* * *

With Kasumi back manning kitchen, Ranma had little to fear as he stepped into the house. School had gone predictably for him. The occasional splash of water, an attempted grope by Kuno, the attack by Kodachi, etc, etc. Ryoga was nice enough to drop by today too, and the two had it out until Ms Hinako zapped 'em both with that damn ki-sucking attack of hers. Of course, it was almost worth it to watch her transform, he thought to himself. Some part of his self-conscious mentally scolded him for thinking such a thought while the majority came along and crushed it. Dammit, I have needs too. He dropped his books in the guest room that was his residence within the Dojo. 

Of course, the day actually had been a little more peaceful than usual. Since he and Akane were not on speaking terms at the moment, it also meant they weren't on malleting terms either. That alone was enough to make Ranma a happy man, and he didn't have to walk on eggshells the entire day around her. He almost didn't want to make up on those grounds alone, but Ranma knew better. If this relationship had any chance of moving forward, one of them was going to have to take the first step. Probably him. I'm trying, dammit, he grumbled mentally. If only because I know how many problems my presence causes the entire family. Might as well face the music.

And get some supper while I'm at it.

Akane didn't appear to be home yet, so Ranma stuck his head in the kitchen to see what Kasumi was making. She had just turned around to get another kitchen utensil and noticed the crop of dark hair looking trough the doorway. She invited him in with a smile.

"Thank you for cleaning up last night, Ranma." Kasumi said as she sliced some carrots up, summarily dumping them into a salad bowl.

Ranma savored the smell of garlic. Spaghetti? A salad? Kasumi's going all out tonight! "Well, it was nothing. Figured the last thing you needed after the date was that mess."

She watched as he automatically took over for her, stirring the pot of spaghetti as she slice vegetables. Sometimes she marveled at how this brash young man took so easily to the art of cooking. Not simply cooked, but cooked well. "Don't be so modest. That was a very thoughtful idea. I'm making you extra helpings tonight."

Ranma's smile brightened and the door clicked open to admit Nabiki's head. Ranma's presence in the kitchen amazed her more- so if only because she never saw it. Of course, she rarely ventured into the kitchen, but still.

"Cooking now?"

Ranma smiled and Kasumi grabbed some Parmesan cheese from the refrigerator. "He's in here more often than you might think, Nabiki."

The middle sister blinked. "Really?" Well _this_ was news. And even if she hadn't believed her own sister, they _did_ have some degree of coordination in their activities, as opposed to bumbling into one another. That alone would take some amount of time to accomplish. She stepped into the kitchen to watch the two work.

"Mostly before anybody gets up in the morning." Ranma admitted, setting the burner to a lower level. "Sometimes when I get home early like today. I don't do much besides martial arts to help the place out, but I _can_ cook."

"Learn something new everyday." Nabiki smirked. "So why keep it a secret?"

"Hmmm… Well, imagine if a certain person were to find out I helped cook her meal." He let the image of that certain person sink in. "Especially after last night's fiasco. I mean, why do I always have to… be… "

Nabiki wondered why his voice died off, then realized his eyes were no longer focused on her. They were focused behind her. The sister slowly turned around to face the bright blue aura of one extremely pissed little sister. Oh crap. And judging by the aura, she'd heard every word.

The trio watched as Akane drew a mallet from behind her back like a Samurai drawing his katana. Whether she did this on purpose to inflict fear and terror or just by instinct, nobody knew, but it was quite an intimidating sight.

"YOU… COOK… BUT… MY… COOKING…!" Whatever it was, Akane was no longer speaking in complete coherent sentences. The only thing the message did convey was rage. Complete and utter rage. Which was the only thing it needed to convey. The kitchen was now bathed in a fiery blue glow.

Nabiki stepped back behind Ranma and he sighed, handing his mixing ladle back to Kasumi. The action all by itself seem to enrage the girl further. Now he stared at Akane in resolute determination as if he were a man standing in front of a firing squad. "At least wait until I get out there to start—"

Whatever self-control the girl had evaporated in the space of that breath and she charged into the kitchen with the mallet overhead. Ranma made a quick tactical decision, one he would have never made in any other location of the house. Boiling water. Sharp utensils. Burning stove. And most of all, the kitchen itself, one of his few centers of peace outside his martial arts katas. All in all, it was no place to be swinging a mallet and he was about to remedy the error. The mallet came down from on high and for the first time in anybodies memory, Ranma took action against it. He stepped inside the arc quite easily and intercepted the youngest Tendo at the wrist, stopping the hammer fall.

Almost.

There was only one person more shocked than Kasumi and Nabiki that Ranma had actually made a move against Akane, and that was the fiancée herself, whose rage instantly flashed into something close to disbelief. He bound her wrists to halt the arc and she released the hammer in shock. Newton took over from there. With Ranma out of the way, the hammer had only one other thing between it and the wall: Nabiki Tendo. Whatever brains she had inherited from her mother, she silently thanked God she had her father's reflexes and used them now, bringing her book bag high to shield herself.

_Crack! Thud!_

The hammer rebounded off the bag and clattered to the floor. The force of the impact transferred into Nabiki, throwing her into the to the rear wall with just enough force to knock the wind out of her, but not cause any damage other than a damn good fright. The two now stood frozen and face-to-face, shock and incredulity on one and determination on the other as he held her wrists frozen in the air.

He actually stopped her! Nabiki thought, then a second realization hit her. She'd almost been malleted by her little sister! Her feeling of shock vanished quickly, replaced by a wave of ice. Nabiki considered the girl with a glare and stepped up next to Ranma, snatching Akane's wrists from his hands.

"Ranma, go back to helping Kasumi." She ordered sternly. There was no disobeying this command. "Sister and I are long overdue for a little chat." Ranma shivered as she spun the still shocked Akane by the wrists and forcefully led her from the kitchen.

* * *

The Talk went rather well, Nabiki thought as she shut her bedroom door. Akane's state of shock over Ranma's actions put the girl in a very pliable mood, pliable enough to explain the facts of life concerning the engagement and how to treat people in general and _not _to mallet the ones you love. Dinner was pleasant, if silent. It wasn't so much a cold war anymore, but the eye of the storm. Total silence, as key members of the family contemplated the dynamics of their relationship. 

Whatever. She had done her good deed for the day. Time to study. Nabiki dumped the contents of her school bag on the bed, including one dead Axial-Temporal Wavefront thingamajig mixed in with her books. She picked it up and was about to put the tablet on the top shelf of her closet when she noticed something. A small red light on the corner.

_It was blinking._

Nabiki pulled the tablet down carefully and examined the device. There was no real difference in the thing except for that blinking red light… And the massive dent on the back service plate. Apparently it had taken the full brunt of Akane's mallet for me, Nabiki thought with grim amusement. She sat with it now on the bed, tracing its lines once more. Aside from the dent, it was in the exact same condition she had received it, save the blinking light, which was a button itself. All the daydreams of picking lottery numbers and such came to her with a smile and she touched it on impulse. Like a Tablet PC, the undersized LCD on the front came to life and began to output text.

Axial-Temporal Wavefront Transponder …Online  
Registering Temporal Axis …Done  
Locking Position…  
/Nerima, Japan 122.000.ZZ8803 /09MAR1989 – 2017hrs 38s 12ms  
Reactor Status …Nominal  
Charge remaining …100  
All Systems Nominal.

You've got to be kidding me, was the first thing Nabiki thought. The text was replaced by a gray graphic user interface on a blue background. No way. There's no possible way, she convinced herself. She looked at the buttons warily. An instruction manual would be really helpful right now, but by the looks of it, that button is to type in the time you want to go to, that button skips ahead like a CD player. That one goes back and the big red means 'go' evidentially. There was also a cryptic button labeled 'release anchor'. Huh. Half of Nabiki now knew this was some elaborate practical joke while the other half was dying to see if she could make her little daydreams come true. Aw, what the hell. If it's a joke, I'll just make them pay. Pay dearly. Nabiki fingered touch screen, pressing the button labeled 'coordinates'. A numeric pad popped up requesting the time and date. Nabiki smiled evilly. Lets see what life is like… Oh, one year from now.

/09MAR1988 –1200hrs 00s 00ms

She fingered in the date and the ominous red key began to pulse, as if daring her to touch it.

Nobody bluffs me, she thought, and stabbed the button.

* * *

**Chapter 003**

_March 9th, 1990, The Future_

**A**ir pressure instantly overwhelmed the middle Tendo and the world leapt into an impossible blur. It was as if she was in the middle of a typhoon, and her hair whipped wildly while she gripping the Tablet as if it were the anchor to life itself. There was stuff going on in that blur, but it was impossible to decipher. A scream was working its way up Nabiki Tendo's throat and suddenly the whirlwind died and her ear pressure returned to normal. Even as she registered the daylight pouring into room from what was once a night sky, Nabiki felt something was wrong and promptly fell three foot from a sitting position to the floor below with a hard thump.

"Oowwww.." I was sitting down, so why the hell did I… Fall? The pain in her butt quickly muted itself to what her own eyes were now seeing. It was indeed a sunny day, as she remembered setting the device in her hands to high noon, but her room… It was… Nabiki slowly rose to her feet looking around. It was abandoned. Not a stick of furniture. Everything was gone… And had been gone for months, apparently. Particles of fine dust floated lazily through the sunbeams that now pierced her curtain-less window. Her bed was also gone, which handily explained her drop to the floor. What in the hell happened here? She checked the Tablet clutched in her hand.

/Nerima, Japan 122.000.ZZ8803 /09MAR1990 –1202hrs 12s 58ms

She flipped out her cell phone as a comparison and found it nearly the exact time, just one year behind. She took a few steps to the door and the wood creaked under her feet. It was impossible. Utterly and completely impossible. She slid the door open and found the hallway equally barren. No pictures. No love. Akane's door. Her room was in the same barren state as hers and a quick check of Kasumi's revealed the same thing. She dreaded every step of the walk down stairs and found exactly what she was hopping not to see. Despair. The living room was a wreck, no furniture, but the wooden floor was in shambles and sunlight was pouring through part of the roof. What the hell happened here! She stepped directly under the splintered hole and stared into the blue sky above. It was charred, like some blast went through it. She continued her tour with an ever-present sense of horror accompanying every step. The guestroom where the Saotome's had stayed was in shambles, likewise Daddy's room. No part of the house remained untouched.

Nabiki's steps brought her to the front door and she was almost afraid to step outside. She ran her fingers along the doorframe on their way down to the knob when they caressed an irregularity in the wood. She examined it closely.

"Ono Tofu"

It had been carved there quite deliberately, but God only knew when. She twisted the knob and was greeted by a wonderful day, sunlight… And destruction. It only took a few steps into the light to realize the practice hall was gone. Not entirely gone, she amended, just half gone. Half of the structure stood on its original frame while the other half looked torn to splinters. The koi pond, that wonderful koi pond that Ranma and his father had found so many times unwillingly and much to her never-ending amusement was bone dry. It even had a fish skeleton in it. Damn. Damn, damn, damn, damn. Nabiki was a creature of information and she was starving at the moment. All she had were answers to which she couldn't fathom the questions. She stepped around the occasional crater and buckled landscape, pulling upon the gate doors to world outside, which looked normal enough. She had to duck under the yellow condemned tape to get out onto the sidewalk and noticed a sign right out in front.

"Shu-mart! Quick Grocery convenience coming to your neighborhood this summer!"

Nabiki instantly bridged the mental gap. Whatever the hell happened, the property had been destroyed and sold. Probably by myself, she thought, assuming I'm still around in this time. It would have been a last ditch, worse case scenario, but from everything I've seen, that was it. She stood outside the broken dojo that had been her home for so many years, completely numbed. So numb she couldn't even cry. Their heritage. Where they were born. Played. Grew up in. Where mom passed away. Their adventures with the Saotomes… Dead. And she didn't even have a clue where to start. Nabiki's knife-like mental process drove away the numbness and began sifting through her available options.

She could return right now, forewarned, but not prepared. She needed to find out what trashed the dojo so badly and more than likely destroyed their lives. Next option, find family. Get the information, then go back and change it. Yes, Nabiki decided. That was the correct course. But who? …And where? Akane? Should be still in school, but that wasn't a guarantee with the dojo gone. Most likely with father, who was… God only knows where. Likewise the Saotomes. Assuming I'm around in this time period, but again, I have no idea where I'd be living now. I could guess, but that strikes me as a good way to waste time. Kasumi. Same problem. No idea—Wait. Her mind quickly flashed back to the doorframe. Ono Tofu? Was that a hint? For me? Sure his clinic is still open…

It took less than ten minutes at a jog to find the clinic, a location she knew by heart and silently praised the powers that be that it was not only intact, but open for business. She stepped in hesitantly and the place had changed little. Maybe a new chart or poster here and there, but…

"Nabiki! What a pleasant surpr—" It was Tofu's voice that died as quickly as it began. Her eyes found him in the doorway to the back room and she watched as he stared at her curiously. She stayed still as he walked over slowly and silently, looking her over intently. He appeared virtually the same as the last time they had seen one another. Tofu opened his mouth to speak then closed it then opened it again. "Nabiki, I don't know how to ask you this, but… How are your legs?"

Oh, I am _not_ liking this at all, she thought and stared at the Doctor intently. That feeling of dread was coming back again. "Just fine, Doctor?" She even took a couple steps so he could see for himself.

"Uh… Um, right…" The Doctor stumbled. He turned to the back room. "Uh, Kas-chan, I think there's somebody who needs to see you… _Right away_." He added with extra emphasis.

"What is it, Hon— Oh my!" Kasumi stepped from the back room and her eyes widened instantly.

Nabiki noticed the difference in Kasumi right away. She wore her hair bound in the back and it had grown out, while her personal appearance had a less refined, more durable look. Overall, it suited her, and there was no way she could miss the wedding band on her finger. "Uh, hi Sis… Good to see—Oof!" She was instantly smothered in a hug, her sister having ran over to her instantly.

"Oh my God your legs are…! It's impossible!" Kasumi was close to hyperventilation and Tofu had pulled her back into his arms for support.

They make a cute couple, she realized through the impending sense of doom she was feeling. Her legs were fine. Funny how nobody else thought so. "I think we're going to need a place to sit down, because I don't know where the hell to start…" She admitted to the couple, both continuing to stare at her as if she had sprouted wings. Or legs.

Even as they nodded, a tiny electric whirl came from behind and she watched Kasumi and Tofu's eyes get even wider, if that were at all possible. Apparently it was. Nabiki turned around slowly and found that they had a good reason for that look of utter disbelief. It was her. In an electric wheelchair. Grinning that goddamn 'I got a secret' smile that was hers and hers alone.

* * *

Doctor Tofu's clinic was now officially closed and three sisters and a husband now sat at the table in the back room sipping team. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn't have been so unusual… Until you realized that two of those sisters basically looked like identical twins. 

"I still can't believe it worked out like this." The wheelchair bound Nabiki smiled a wide smile that the Nabiki from the past would have never seen on her own face. "I can't tell you how much I picked those science club nerds brains for information after the I got back."

"I don't think you'll have to tell me…" Past Nabiki whispered in disbelief. "I'll be doing it... Myself?" She had found herself skipping from the 'healthy respect of time travel' phase to the 'absolute horror of time travel' in less than a half hour.

Future Nabiki nodded with certainty. "Dang right you wi—_Oh no you will not!_"

"Damn strait I won't." Past Nabiki was already on the same thought process, staring at herself and the broken legs.

"Excuse me, Nabiki… Er.. Nabikis…Whatever." Kasumi shook her head as if to clear it a bit. "Can you start by telling _us_ what is going on?" Tofu nodded quite firmly with that request as well.

Past Nabiki looked at her counterpart. "I think you had best explain this one. I'm still coming to terms as to what happened and I'm missing a lot of the puzzle pieces here."

"Starved for information, huh?" Future Nabiki quipped, clearly amused.

Since when did I get such a sense of humor? "Ain't it the truth. But I suspect you've been thinking about it for the entire year."

Her counterpart nodded slowly and the smile disappeared. "Yeah, we've all had a lot on our minds. Where to start…?"

Past Nabiki had no question as to where to start. "The Dojo."

Future Nabiki looked at her sister and husband in total seriousness. "The first thing you have to accept is that time travel is possible and that this," She tapped on the Tablet in the center of the table, "is a time traveling device." The couple shrugged with acceptance. After all, they had two Nabikis sitting in front of them drinking tea. Now she pointed to her past persona. "_She_ is from our past exactly one year ago and she doesn't have a clue as to what's happened to… All of us." The couple and Past Nabiki sat in silence, accepting the information as best they could. "It's not a pretty tale, Nabs, I'll warn you right now."

Past Nabiki shrugged. "I can see that well enough already, no offense. You should remember the creepy sense of doom I'm feeling it right now if you're, well, never mind. Thinking about me gives me a headache."

The smile returned but faded. "Ok then. You successfully returned to your time within a few minutes of leaving, nobody the wiser. Things were decent between Akane and Ranma--" Past Nabiki noted she spoke their names with no small amount of trepidation, while Kasumi looked ill at ease. What the hell..? "—for about a month before everything just came apart. Akane went ballistic over some stupid fiancée stunt and went off again on Ranma." Was that sadness? "He couldn't take it anymore and simply left in the middle of the night, leaving us a note." Future Nabiki dug into the jacket she had been wearing and handed it over. Kasumi simply looked down at the table as past Nabiki unfolded it. "Please… Don't read it aloud. You'll understand."

She read it silently…

* * *

_"I'm sorry I have to do this, but the time for honor has well past. I think it's obvious by now that nothin' I can do will ever satisfy Akane. I'm not good enough with people and I'm not about to whip everybody into a frenzy trying to stop me, so this note will have to do._

_To Kasumi: Thank you for being my only true friend in the Tendo household. Your kitchen was always a place of peace for me and I cannot express my appreciation enough that you allowed me to share it with you. The honor was all mine. I wish you and Doc Tofu the best of luck. I'm just sorry I won't be there for the wedding._

_To Akane: I'm sorry I was never good enough for you. I tried but it wasn't enough. It was never enough. You're free now, but do the next guy a favor and actually give a damn instead of letting every little thing kill the love you have. Between me being such a great people person and you killing any love that sprouted, I think I can safely say this was never meant to be. Have a good life._

_To Nabiki: I enjoyed your wit and insight. When you weren't trying to blackmail, extort or otherwise trick me into one of you money-making scams, I could actually see the person deep down… Almost the person I saw when I first got here. But me and pops probably killed that too. Trust me when I say this… If you continue to suck the life out of everybody you meet, the only person you 'll have left is you to keep sucking from. I only know because I've done it to all of yas._

_To Soun: Grow a fucking spine._

_To Genma: Get your head out of you're ass for once in your life and stop turning everything you touch to shit. You'd be a great instructor if you could get your damn eyes of yourself. Better luck next time. This project called your son is officially a failure. Think I'll go spend some time as a girl just to spite you._

_To Shampoo: It's almost not your fault that you're pushy, self centered, arrogant and possessive, but what part of 'no' don't you understand? Get a clue and realize the more schemes you try and push on somebody, the more they'll explode in your face. And ditch the old ghoul before she takes you down with her._

_Ryoga: You so need to get over yourself. Do you think for one moment the world gives two shits about your eternal depression? Say it with me: Fuck no. They don't mine and they don't yours. Get on with your damn life already. Here, I'll help you—Akane, Ryoga is P-chan. You can thank me later._

_Ukyo: You're my best friend and always will be… It just can't work out as fiancées however. Why? Not your fault. You know my life. It's too much crap. A friend I can deal with. A fiancée I can't. Not anymore, at least. Maybe in a different life. Maybe I'll see you around… Maybe not…. I wish the best… I love you too… Just not like that."_

* * *

Nabiki stared at the crinkled letter for a good ten minutes, rereading it until a sniffle brought her back to the present. Kasumi had a handkerchief to her eyes as Doctor Tofu held her close. A look over to her future-self shown something equally shocking. Tears streaking down her face, but it wasn't a frown. It was a smile. Then came the slow realization… They had memorized every word on that page and were reading it as surely as she held it now. 

The future Nabiki sniffled herself, and it almost came out as a laugh. "He was right on every single account about us, Nabs. Everything. We sucked the life out everybody we met. He knew he wasn't making it any easier on us, but we could only blame him so much, now can't we?" She took another few moments to collect herself before finally continuing. "Hmmf. But I stopped being that person with a vengeance. Cost me a lot, but I've regained my soul."

Past Nabiki could only stare at her… She would have never said anything so… Profound. I can't get worked up like future me has because I haven't gone through it yet, but damn…

"Well, the great fiancée wars began in earnest at that point." Future Nabiki commented. "Everybody blamed everyone and Shampoo went berserk. With nothing to hold her back, Akane got taken to an inch of her life. Only Ukyo jumping in to save her, and that was a hard battle. God bless Ukyo, she fought that bitch to a standstill!" She took a deep breath as if shaking off the memory. "Took some scars that'll be with her for the rest of her life, but even with no love for Akane- especially after the letter –she did what her Ran-chan would have done."

"Ranma was gone and with her, Mousse, Cologne and a cut up Shampoo, gone to look for him presumably. Ukyo left town. We still get the occasional postcard from her shop in Okinawa. Guess she just couldn't handle the memories. Ryoga came by, found out the news and proposed to Akane… And was himself savagely beat within an inch of his pig life after all that time spent in bed with her as a pig. Haven't seen him since." Future Nabiki paused. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. The dojo."

Her face went totally dead now, and Kasumi reflected her in much the same manner. "Happosai brought something home with him. He called it a pet but it was actually some sort of demon, something he had enslaved. Since he was losing his grip on the Dojo, he thought it necessary to bring backup."

"The backup got loose." Past Nabiki stated, pretty sure where this was going.

"Right." She nodded. "In a bad way. You've seen the dojo. It got annihilated. I was paralyzed from the hips down when it collapsed. Soun and Genma weren't much help. Once Happosai couldn't control it, the only thing the parents could do was buy time. Ranma's father… Didn't survive. But somehow Ranma himself caught wind of what the master had been scheming and arrived barely in time. You. Me. Akane and Daddy owe him our lives. He… He…" The Future Nabiki simply stared at her with the smile, tears flowing. Kasumi cried into her husband's shoulder with small sobs.

The doctor spoke up for the first time now, his voice low and reverent. "He died saving everybody. The best Happosai could do was open a door to the pit from which he grabbed it. And Ranma hammered the thing back in there with everything he had ..And made sure it couldn't get back out by holding the line just inside the gateway. The gate closed and…" He couldn't finish himself now.

Past Nabiki insides were now churning in a sickening manner. She had known it was bad, but that went so far beyond bad… Catastrophically bad. Never in her wildest nightmares…

"Oh God,I think I need some fresh air…"

* * *

Nabiki sucked in precious air as she stood outside the clinic, watching pedestrians go by blissfully unaware of the precarious threads their existence hung by. She had been one of those people mere hours ago, but whatever innocence she held in that particular area had been stripped away quite brutally and the small puddle of puke in the street was evidence of that. 

The whirl of an electric wheelchair sounded behind her and she turned around to find herself with that damn ever-present smile. "I can't count the number of times I've done that over the last year." She remarked and pulled up beside her past self.

"Why are you so…"

"Damn cheerful?" The wheelchair Nabiki's smile brightened. It faltered slightly, but she forced it back into place. "It was a promise I made on Ran-chan's grave. You stopped being me six months back." Past Nabiki's mind ran the tense and self-references furiously through her mind. Damn this was getting weirder and weirder. "Oh, we're still quite the accomplished business women. Hell, it's the only reason the Tendo's as a clan are still afloat, but the difference between you and me is that I've been doing it without blackmailing, extorting or cheating another soul." Her eyes burrowed through Nabiki as if to driver the point home, but still the smile remained.

Past Nabiki squirmed uncomfortably. Being on the short end of the information stick was really, really annoying, so she decided a tactical change in subject was in order. "Do we have a boyfriend?"

Future Nabiki considered her for a moment, sending her a look that told her she knew exactly what the question was, but laughed and answered anyway. "Yes and no." She motioned with her hands to her legs, illustrating the point quite clearly, causing any further useless conversation to dry up on her tongue. "Not that it matters. You're going back and changing all of this."

Nabiki nodded in total agreement. "That's a given. But what am I going to change? I need a key event or something."

The wheelchair girl considered it carefully. "I've been thinking on that over the past year. Critical turning points and all that. The argument you left was definitely one of them. The first time Ranma ever blocked Akane's hammer should have blasted a warning siren in both of our faces." She continued soberly. "Because after that, something changed and Akane never hit him _once_ after that, and not for lack of trying. Ranma was done letting her."

"Ok, I think I know what timeframe to go back to then." Past Nabiki nodded. "I think I'll prevent that particular cold war from spinning up in the first place. The only question now is how?"

"I think I have you covered on that one." Future Nabiki began. "You can try to talk to yourself as you're talking to me, I guess. As long as nobody sees you, things should be okay. The science club and I have talked that scenario into the ground and we all agree that you're going to have to be super careful not to precipitate events that lead you _away_ from acquiring the Tablet."

Past Nabiki nodded in agreement. It was obvious enough—If you don't have a time machine then you can't time travel. But… She would have the one in her hands. Which would mean… "Ok, I'm lost now. Don't I keep mine?"

Future Nabiki produced a wry smile. "Well yes and… Honestly, we're not sure what will happen. But keep this in mind no matter what: The only time frame in which only one of us will exist is either in the exact moment you left or if we somehow don't exist in the one you arrive in."

"Or are dead." Past nabiki shook her head. This was all quite freaking strange.

"Or are dead." Future Nabiki confirmed. "We're speculating that if you initiate an event in which you'll never come into contact with the Tablet or cause the tablet never to be made, it might spontaneously cease to exist once you return to your own 'new' timeframe present. Likewise the next jump you make could strand you in that time." Then she winked. "Of course, we could all be full of shit too."

"Right." Nabiki replied dryly. Future Nabiki brought the tablet up from her lap, handing it carefully to her. With it was the note from Ranma, her past and future simultaneously.

"Three things before you go." She stared at the standing Nabiki. "First, _do not_ turn the damn thing off. We were never able to get it to work again after I returned and turned it off. Second, the 'release anchor' button will automatically target the exact timeframe you left, the point where only one of us exists. I know I was wondering, so I thought I'd clue you in. Finally…" An impish smile spread across her face. "I had damn well better be able to walk by the time you're done with all this."

Past Nabiki couldn't help but to chuckle now. "Count on it." Future Nabiki offer her hand and she took it in reflex, producing an even wider smile from her. "I guess I can tell Cho-kun that we don't annihilate one another on contact."

Nabiki's eyes widened and she snatched her hand back in shock. "You're insane! You're totally insane!"

The wheel-chair bound Nabiki produced a hearty laugh. "Kodachi says a little insanity is just the spice of life. Now get out of here!"

She looked at the Tablet then her future-self, who was already wheeling back into the clinic. God, I'm hanging out with Kodachi now!

Oh yeah, things were going to have to change alright.

* * *

_March 8th, 1989, The Past_

Nabiki Tendo ducked behind the equipment locker in nervous anticipation. At least that had been the location prescribed on the note, and while she normally didn't take such notes seriously, she was making a special exception to this one. Of course, normally one didn't receive a note stuffed in the their locker with their own hand writing and only knowledge they could know, but having no memory or writing the note itself. She walked through the dimly lit room, looking for some clue as to what had drawn her and who had written the note. She knew some good forgeries, but this was close to an impossibility.

A small step echoed behind her and she turned around, a creeping sensation crawling up her spin. Before her stood a fairly attractive girl in a blue tee and tight jeans, her 'I've got a secret' smile framed by a sharp, stylish crop strait brown hair. In short, it was her. Nabiki opened her mouth. What the hell…! The Nabiki clone stepped forward and she noticed a rectangular device hanging from an arm for the first time.

"I think it's time you and me had a little talk."

* * *

Akane heard the front door slam and she ducked her head out of the kitchen curiously. Nobody ever slammed the front door unless they were in a hurry and she watched Nabiki rounded the corner with her book bag, still in her school uniform. 

"Oh hi Nabiki! Since Kasumi is on a date…" The words faded as she watched Nabiki make eye contact. Her face… The middle sister brushed past her, sliding into the kitchen and turned off the stove and oven. "Hey! I'm cooking tonight!"

Nabiki replied by simply grabbing her hand and dragging her out of the kitchen. "Not tonight you're not." She was about to protest some more when she whipped around suddenly, that mask of intensity radiating into her. "It's a family emergency, Akane. Trust me and order some takeout. I'll grab the others."

Akane knew that face. She was in crisis mode. It had been a _long_ time since she had seen Nabiki in crisis mode. There was absolutely no questioning the importance of whatever was going to interrupt Akane's cooking spree. Less than an hour later Nabiki had gathered up the family, save Kasumi, who had already gone over to Tofu's place. At the table sat Ranma, Soun, Genma and Akane.

"What I'm about to tell you is going to sound completely unbelievable." Nabiki told the family, and she peered intently into each one of their faces. In fact, she had heard those exact same words from herself in the equipment locker at school today. Of course, it was easier to believe since I was staring at my self, she snorted mentally. That future Nabiki outlined the highlights she needed to know and she had missed lunch and two classes listening to the tale that she now told the rest of the family, who had all but stopped eating the food on their table. Akane-free food, she thought with dead amusement.

"Of course you realize that sounds—" Genma's observation was cut short as Nabiki pulled out a small folded piece of paper that had seen its better day.

"Of course it does." Nabiki waved the objection aside. "I wouldn't have believed it myself if it weren't… Me telling… Me, but for tonight, I only need one person to believe me." She looked at Ranma and handed him the note almost sympathetically.

Ranma took it with trepidation, seeing Nabiki's face and slowly unfolded it. He began to read and the family watched as his eyes widened and blood drained from his face. His head snapped up to looked up at the family, then back down to the note, then over to Akane. He held her gaze and she watched an edge of fear creep into his eyes. Ranma carefully folded the note back up and handed back to Nabiki with the utmost care, as if he were handling a live bomb.

The pigtail boy closed his eyes and took a deep breath, considering Nabiki with more weight then he ever had since their first meeting. "Ok. I'm convinced. Every word of it." It was his handwriting. His wording. And most of all, what were beginning to be his feelings. There was no way Nabiki could have forged it. Akane made a grab at the note to snatch it out of her sister's hands, only to have her wrist intercepted by Ranma. Nobody had even seen him _move_. "Sorry Akane… _Nobody_ sees that note."

"_What!_" Akane stood up suddenly. "If it's so important why cant I see it? I _am_ your fiancée in case you've forgotten!"

Ranma looked at her and a sullen look took over his face. "Trust me Akane… Nobody _wants_ to see that note. Ever. I'm almost sorry Nabiki even has it."

Nabiki looked up at the irritated sister. "He's right, Akane. We're totally serious." She looked around at the rest of the family. "That goes for the rest of you. You'll have to take my… Our word for on this."

"What, Nabiki can see the note you wrote but I can't!" Akane's rage climbed higher. "Why don't you just take her as your fiancée now too!"

"Look I didn't even write the stupid note, you tom—" Ranma cut himself off quickly. "All I'm saying is that… aw hell, I don't know what I'm saying but nobody," and he shot a withering glare into the rest of the table, "but _nobody_ sees that note. The only reason she even has it is because Nabiki's been hopping around through time or something." Then he deadpanned, "Nosing in everybody else's business as always."

Nabiki couldn't help but to chuckle, but it was just enough to send Akane into meltdown as she bolted out of the dojo, presumably to reduce Nerima's local brick population by a substantial quantity. "Damn, this is going to be harder than it sounds."

"It sounded hard from the word 'go'." Ranma sniffed with little amusement.

"That's exactly what I mean." She shook her head. "Look, I think this is enough for one night. Meet me after supper tomorrow night at exactly… Seven fifteen p.m. I should maybe have more information at that point."

Ranma nodded. If any of them were to survive what was coming, there was some serious planning to be done. And they had exactly three months to do it.

Akane's fuming continued well into the next day, but it had been largely ignored by Ranma, Nabiki noted and she was still trying to decide if that was a good or bad thing. The information had an unexpected result on the martial artist, whose face now wore an impenetrable mask of neutrality. For Nabiki who made it her job to know everything and anything about the people around her, she knew the face for what it was and knew why Akane's little barbs were bouncing off his exterior like small arms fire plinking at a tank. He was in battle mode, one of the few times the middle sister ever saw him gain a tactical mindset that rivaled her own. It wasn't that the boy wasn't smart, it was just that his brain was aimed entirely in a different direction, and now that brain was entirely focused on their survival. He probably would never apply it to anything else in his life, but this was one of those few things. Could Akane really be that blind? Damn this wasn't going to be easy.

Nabiki managed to collect the Tablet from the Science Club as collateral and rushed home, ensuring she would beat Akane to the kitchen where Kasumi and Ranma were cooking. Her future self had informed her of this potential flashpoint, and she pulled Ranma out with some reluctance and an apology to Kasumi. The spaghetti came and went, supper proceeding relatively peacefully. Akane seemed to have bled off most her anger while Ranma kept his words to an absolute minimum as he was determined not to put his foot in his mouth like so many times in the past.

Seven fifteen rolled around and Ranma knocked on Nabiki's door, earning a withering glare from Akane. Regardless of her thoughts, the youngest kept her mouth shut and watched Ranma step into her sister's room.

"Akane's not a happy camper…" He mused, finding Nabiki at her desk, staring at an alarm clock.

"Give me a second, Saotome. It should be happening anytime now." She held up a finger, calling a halt to any further conversation. Ranma sat there with a questions waiting to escape his lips when he felt something. The martial artist concentrated and watched as Nabiki's all but invisible aura flickered and began to pulse erratically.

"What the…? Nabiki, are you..."

"Oh my God…" she whispered and began to clutch her head, grunting with strain. "My head… My memories! They're…!" She slid out of the chair and onto the carpeted floor twitching, Ranma rushing to her side.

Somebody in the past had just hit the Release Anchor key.

* * *

_No Authors notes here. I put em all in chapters 4-6. Ja ne!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Exact Change**  
By Ozzallos

**Chapter 004**

_March 9th, 1989, Present_

The world slowly back into focus as Nabiki's senses began to turn themselves back on, one by one. The first thing she notices was that instead of the desk or the floor, she was now lying on her bed. The second thing she noticed was Ranma to her side with a concerned look on his face. Ranma? Concerned? After The Note? Her mind disgarded the complex topic in favor of a simpler one her hazy brain could comprehend more readily at the moment.

"How long…?"

"Only five minutes." Ranma replied. "A few more and I would have had Doc in here. You oughta warn me next time."

Nabiki tried sitting up. "If I had known, I would have…" She wiped her eyes clear and noted her muscles felt strained. Then as she continued to take stock of her faculties, came across a horrible, wonderful realization. "The memories! All of _her_ memories!" Ranma simply looked at her in confusion, but otherwise waited patiently for her to explain. "Remember I told you that _I_ was told all this information by a future me?" Ranma nodded. He didn't like these conversations. They tended to go way over his head way fast. "Well, she just returned to the exact moment she left… Seven seventeen p.m."

"Five minutes ago?" Ranma asked with an arched eyebrow, then looked around the room. "Um, where is she then?"

Nabiki tapped her skull with a finger. "_We're_ right here.' She slid off the bed. "If you change the past and return to the only place where two of you won't exist- the present you left –all of you and the changes get mashed into one body." Ranma looked confused, and rightfully so. "Don't worry… I'm barely keeping up with myself here."

"I saw your aura go insane, Nabs." Ranma stated. "I may not understand it, but I'll take your word for it on that alone."

Now she got right down to business. "Ok, things are bad for us in the future. Worse than what was explained to me earlier. You're dead. Your dad is too. I'm crippled for life. Ukyo is scarred, the Amazons went on the warpath and the Dojo was so badly destroyed by Happosai that I opted to sell the property outright instead of fixing it as a last ditch measure to keep the family finances intact."

"'Bad' isn't the word." Ranma noted dryly.

"Just think how I felt. I saw the aftermath first hand _and_ me in a wheelchair." She replied bitterly.

"Ok then, plan of action time." Ranma nodded and Nabiki watched as the tactical mask clicked into place. Ranma was gearing for war, and she couldn't help but to feel proud that he would be willing do it for their sakes. "We've got three months. I've been kicking the problem around all night last night and all day today and only have one conclusion… That is to assemble as many allies as possible to present and overwhelming front when Happosai and this thing come back. Obviously me alone wasn't enough. Or rather I was, just don't want to die in the attempt."

"That's going to take some serious bowing and scraping, Saotome." She pointed out carefully. "The fiancées are probably a lock, but most of them aren't the power players and by calling the girls in, you automatically…"

"…Get the guys pissed off, yeah, I know." Ranma admitted grimly. "And I'll be lucky if I don't haul off and say something stupid in the process."

Nabiki thought on the matter a moment, and smiled. "Then I'll be your interpreter."

"Since when will I be speaking Chinese?" He retorted with some amusement. Her look cut him down immediately. It wasn't anger, just a forceful reminder of the facts of life and his mouth. "Ok, ok. You handle the negotiations with the guys. Do whatever it takes." Nabiki nodded, but he rested his hand on hers now and she blinked with mild shock. It wasn't that the touch was overly friendly, but that combined with the hard edge in his eyes meant there was no room for interpretation on the matter.

"I mean it, Nabs. Blackmail 'em, extort 'em and threaten their lives if you have to… _This dojo stands._"

* * *

Explaining the matter to the family was a lot easier than even she had originally hoped, and Nabiki realized that it was in no small part due to Ranma. He had transformed into warrior and it showed in every action. Protests that she would have had to take time and effort to circumvent were instead immediately cut down by Ranma and his no-nonsense attitude. By the time they were done tag teaming the family, there was no argument. Anybody who disagreed with Nabiki's logic- primarily the parents –were instantly put in their place by Ranma, who had or all intents and purposes assumed decisive control of the dojo. Not even demon-head Soun or a quip about the boy's honor from Genma was getting through the glacial mental plating he now mounted. 

If those conversations weren't indication enough of the martial artists' change in attitude, the ones with Akane were, the middle Tendo noted with equal parts shock and awe. Akane had failed to grasp the very essence of his handling of this very dire situation, which was basically that you were either with them in solving it or you were in the way. Akane's constant attempts to goad him quickly landed her in the latter category.

It was now seven fifteen p.m. Nabiki knew the sharp rap on her door could only be one person. "Come in Ran-chan." He stepped in with a courteous smile, not the war mask he now wore regularly around the dojo. War mask or no, he was here for one reason and one reason only: To get night two of their strategy session underway. He sat on her bed and Nabiki considered their next course of action from her desk.

"Ok, I think we have the dojo well in hand thanks to you." She winked and was awarded the slightest blush. "So I also think we can safely assume that we'll do whatever it takes to do the rest, right?"

Ranma nodded with a thin smile. "Can't stop now. This is just getting interesting."

"And since neither of us will stop until this dojo continues standing, I think its time we go check on our progress." She pulled out the Tablet, it's display still glowing idly.

"Mmm, what should I do while you're gone?" Ranma looked at her skeptically.

Nabiki punched something into the Tablet and smiled. "You shouldn't even _know_ I'm gone." With that, she punched a button and Ranma watched through ki-enhanced senses as her aura flickered, though not so violently as before. It continued for less than five seconds before dying away and Nabiki shook her head as if to clear it. Then the smile faded into an angry scowl.

_"FUCK!"_

_

* * *

_

_March 9th, 1990, The Future_

This time Nabiki was standing as the whirlwind disapated around her and she was silently thankful she was standing this time since the bed would have been a problem, There wasn't one, to be more precise. In fact, her room in the future was as barren as she left it last time. The trip down stairs was faster, but there were noticeable difference over the last time. The living room itself was now in complete upheaval, as if one of the major battles had taken place from within. She looked into the kitchen to find it utterly in ruin. Hell, there wasn't even a door on the front door hinges anymore. A quick tour around the property showed more damage, not less, while the practice hall was completely destroyed this time around.

Nice to see Shu-mart will still be going up, she thought bitterly as she passed the sign outside the dojo and made a direct line for Doctor Tofu's place at a healthy jog. At least something is a constant, she mused and stepped in the open clinic. Kasumi was manning the front desk, and she turned at the sound of the door chime.

"Hello and how may I—_Oh my!_" Her eyes widened suddenly before promptly passing out.

Damn. I really, _really_ got a bad feeling about this one Nabiki grumbled mentally.

It took her husband and some smelling salts to bring Kasumi back to the land of the living, and even as he was doing it, Doctor tofu eyed Nabiki warily. Kasumi's eyes fluttered open from the couch they had moved her to and she focused on the middle Tendo once more, a small gasp escaping her lips.

"Na- Na- Nabiki?" She asked so hesitantly and softly as to send shivers strait into the girl's soul. Nabiki nodded. "But you're… you're dead!"

"Um, right. Not today, sis." She told the trembling Kasumi and made a decision. "Doctor, I need to ask some very pointed questions and I don't think that Kasumi can…"

He nodded. "Step into my office. One moment. I think we'll close for the rest of the day."

Through the impromptu interview with Doctor Tofu, she found out their plan had indeed worked, but the devil was always in the details. Tofu explained how they did provided a united front against Happosai and his demon, though it still destroyed the dojo in the process. Maybe if the group had more teamwork and coordination, they would have been able to get away with a minimum of property damage, but the dojo was a free fire zone. That, and temporal mechanics was apparently a tricky beast. They had arranged for all noncombatants to be evacuated the day before his arrival, but the perverted old master arrived three full days _ahead _of schedule in this future, and Nabiki herself had been one of the first to fall.

While the casualties had been lighter this time, the fallout was not. Ukyo took a critical hit and Ranma stayed at his best friends side throughout her recovery, driving Akane into a senseless rage. That rage against his wounded best friend was the wedge that would severe Ranma's ties to the family completely. Last Tofu had heard, they were living in Okinawa together, married. Without Nabiki's financial wizardry, the property sold for a substantial amount less and the family as a whole was barely making ends meet. The situation was no less dire than what she last left it except for that minor detail…

…She was dead now.

Nabiki didn't bother explaining the whole time travel bit to Kasumi and merely said she was glad to see her doing so well. Who knows. Maybe she would assume the mysterious Nabiki was the Ghost of Christmas Past or something. Regardless, it was obvious that she had taken her death pretty hard and was in no condition for technical babble-speak.

With a final kiss and goodbye, she hit the Release Anchor key. With any luck, they'd never know the pain of that existence.

* * *

_March 10th, 1989, Present_

Ranma listened as Nabiki relayed the story. To him it looked as if she had never left the room, but her eyes and voice told a far different, more tragic story. She collapsed onto the bed beside him and he drew her close, comforting her as she explained the end of the world as she knew it for the second time in so many days.

After a space of thoughtful silence, Ranma began running through the tactical options and Nabiki was sure he wasn't even aware of his mumbling aloud, but she listened from his arms intently. Normally his arms wer the last place she'd want to be, but the situation… She needed it this time.

"We've got the people… But the destruction of the dojo appears to be inevitable. How to safeguard it… Won't be able to train those jokers in close group tactics in three months... no common ground. Too much focus on me." Nabiki watched his eyes as they flickered back and forth and she recognized them. They were _her _eyes. The eyes she had when she was dissecting a particularly intricate problem. The only difference was that she dissected people and information with those eyes. He dissected _battles_. "Amazons maybe…? Instant teamwork there… No. Cologne has too much invested for me to say here… She'd find a way… Maybe worse."

Ranma lapsed into silence for a few more minutes before withdrawing his arm from Nabiki, a light shade of pink accompanying his face. Regardless, she smiled gratefully. Dealing with your inevitable crippling and demise tends to wear a person out emotionally. Whatever embarrassment accompanied the action, however, quickly faded against the determination on his face.

"We don't have enough time." He stated with certainty and Nabiki reeled. He was just admitting that… "The dojo will likely be destroyed no matter what we do at this point. We're too close to that day to whip up an effective defense against what we appear to be facing. We can minimize casualties… probably even prevent them. But I think the dojo is a loss one way or the other."

"One way or the other?"

Ranma nodded somberly. "I'm sure we can _save_ the dojo… but only by selling one, if not all of our souls to the Amazons. They're the only group with enough skill _and _discipline to keep everything from being destroyed, but we both know their asking price."

"You." Nabiki acknowledged. It was the only coin Cologne had been willing to deal in for the past three years.

"And for what we're asking, I wouldn't doubt her price goes up." He sighed. "Not sure what she'll ask, but it might very well be just as bad."

"Agreed." Nabiki admitted with resignation. "I guess we could start funneling funds toward the rebuilding of the…"

"What'd happen if you go back further?" Ranma asked suddenly, eyes glittering for the first time since their meeting.

"Further?" Nabiki's eyes widened. "I guess it would give us more options to deal with the situation," She saw where Ranma was heading and there was a specific reason why she hadn't already broached the topic yet. "But there is the risk of changing things so radically we'll never come in contact with the Tablet in the first place and loose our ability to make further changes, or so I'm told."

"I told you Nabiki… Whatever it takes." Those eyes now contained the warriors edge she had seen earlier.

"You're serious…" She breathed. "But _why?"_

"Because," Ranma hesitated, but pressed on, "I haven't really had a home for the last decade. My life has been one non-stop training exercise after another. Half that time I didn't have a roof over my head. The other half I didn't have food in my belly. I came here and it was like a slice of heaven. My first real home to stay in literally years. Sure there are problems," Nabiki noted silently that she was probably one of them, "but through it all, you've all tolerated our gluttony, idiocy and whatever. If this is the only way I can pay you all back, then this is what I do."

Nabiki stared at him as if she had just discovered a new Ranma Saotome. He was right. He didn't have much. Couldn't teach the art to make money. Was a continual drain on the resources of this house …But he was doing the what he could. Help Kasumi cook and defend his home and extended family. For the first time, she began to see… _See_ that despite the loss of her legs why the future had her smiling all the time.

"Ok, then we need a key event to turn this thing around. We know it involves Happosai bringing back a large demon."

Ranma nodded sharply. "Last time we saw him was about five months ago?"

"Aside from the party, I think that's about right." Nabiki confirmed. The Ranma-Akane's pre-wedding party would not be a good confrontational choice. "Maybe we can talk some sense into him?"

"That's your department, not mine." Ranma said with a smile, then a frown. "But let's be realistic. We're talking about the old master here. When has he ever listened to a damn thing we've said? You'll need backup."

"One person per time machine is what my future self told me." Nabiki stated. "Besides, the more of us running around, the more ways things that can go wrong."

"Okay, but trust me when I say this," He replied, but stated in no uncertain terms. "If it comes down to using force on Happosai, I've got about a fifty-fifty shot at taking him out _today_. My odds weren't quite that good five months ago."

Nabiki looked at him and his brutal honesty thoughtfully. She realized better than anybody that negotiations can and will break down, and if you don't have any other tools to negotiate with… "Alright, Saotome, what's your plan?"

"Give me some time to think of one." He grinned mischievously,

"Let's say a week." She decided and grinned right back. "That'll give me enough time to consider all the angles as well."

* * *

**Chapter 005**

_March 14th, 1989, Present_

**"G**oing to spend more time with Nabiki, huh?" Akane's barb cut through the post-supper air, finding its mark with eerie precision.

"Yeah, so what?" Ranma bristled as he picked himself up from the dinner table to follow Nabiki up to her room.

"Oh, just that you're a two-timing baka pervert!" The youngest Tendo caught Ranma in a withering gaze.

The bark of laughter caught those remaining at the table by surprise. "Are you even _listening_ to yourself?" Ranma chided, stepping back up to Akane. "You're saying that Nabiki and I are _dating!_"

Akane had been expecting an insult in kind, not a logical, razor edged question. "Well.. uh…"

"That's right! The Ice Queen of Furikan High takes in the Baka-Pervert of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts!" His sarcastic laughter cut through the air now, and with it, any and all self-control. It had been a long week for Ranma Saotome and he had spent that self control fending off her insults and accusations throughout it. She was seeking a confrontation and so far he had denied her one. Until now.

"Can you possibly think of a more ridiculous scenario to get jealous over!" Ranma continue and for the first time, the rolls were reversed. It was now Ranma's temper spiraling out of control and Akane taking the figurative, if not literal beating. She stepped back in shock. "What we're are doing is planning the _survival_ of this god damned dojo, not pining over one another like school kids! Why can't you—"

A hand touched his and he stopped in shock, his anger draining away into it. Nabiki Tendo agreed. Enough was enough. She took his hand and led him away from the table. "Come on Ranma. We don't have time for this." She stated simply and quietly. It had been primarily for him, but there was no doubt everyone else had as well. At this point, she didn't care what the others thought of her unorthodox tactics in disarming Ranma. Tommorow was the day. Akane's temper tantrums would have to wait.

The moment of shock passed and Ranma's head nodded in agreement. The fact that she led him all the way up stairs by the hand was not lost on anybody.

October 2nd, 1988, The Past

Nabiki was thankful she had been mindful of the season as she walked across the Tendo property. The cold autumn wind knifed around her, cutting the few remaining leaves from their already barren branches. Now they now tumbled across her path. She had picked this day for two reasons. First, the old pervert was known to be here at the dojo at this specific time and date. Second, she wouldn't get home until late. Nabiki had to consult an archived daytimer to remember that fact, but it did indicated she would go out tonight and thus would not run the risk of running into herself here an now. She stepped in the door and surprised Kasumi, who was taking a break from her house chores.

"Oh my, you're home early." She observed with cheerful surprise. Granted, it was the obvious, but it was also out of the ordinary. She should have been in uniform and at school. She was, in fact. At least her past self was, still attending class.

"I have important business to take care of, Sis." The tone of her voice made it clear she would find out the nature of that business soon enough. "Are the parents home?"

"They seemed to have… Um, stepped out." Kasumi admitted, and both sisters knew exactly why they had stepped out. On average, she had nothing to fear from the old master. If he wanted fed, he'd leave her alone, but Nabiki's attitude was worrying and Kasumi knew the face she wore a mile away… Crisis mode. "Is there anything I can do?"

The middle sister shook her head. "Just stay out of the way." With that, she stepped into the guest room to find the squat old pervert humming a happy little tune and ironing his pile of women's undergarments. He looked up to find the sister smiling that "I got a secret" smile.

"Why Nabiki Tendo, shouldn't you be in school?" He piped up cheerfully.

"Today I have business." She stated simply. "With you."

Now that intrigued the old master. Normally females stayed as far away from him as possible, and business with Nabiki? This was worth hearing. He set the iron aside. "What sort of business child?"

"The business of you trafficking demons." She replied and noticed him twitch visibly. She heard a slight gasp from behind and knew Kasumi was eavesdropping.

"And what would you…_know_ of such matters?" Happosai inquired carefully. He had known this one was observant and devious, but the depths of her knowledge into his activities were quite impressive.

"When, exactly were you going to tell us of your plans to destroy the dojo, Happosai?" Debate tactics 101—Always answer a question with a question Nabiki chuckled inwardly. Of course, there was no such plan to destroy the dojo, but it would definitely get his attention.

"What?" He came fully alert now. "I have no such plans to--!"

"Then why are you fishing for demons?" She cut him off with a cool gaze. It was really her that was fishing. She had no idea just what his activities were at this point, only their eventual conclusion. He stared at her defiantly, and she considered that stab in the dark a hit. "Now why in the world would you be using them in the first place?" It was a rhetorical question, but one that would continue to put him on the defensive. He remained silent. Time to drive the knife home, she thought. "Maybe because you're not confident of your ability to maintain your hold on the dojo anymore?"

'Watch your tongue, Nabiki Tendo." He growled, and Nabiki silently scored more hits.

"Or what? You'll steal my panties?" Nabiki issued a laugh that had the consistency of tiny razor blades. Then she switched her gaze on him to match the laughter. "Or maybe you'll summon the demon to teach us all a lesson."

Happosai was at a total loss now. She knew far more than a person of even her substantial capabilities should know. That was _exactly_ the reason why he was getting the demon. Ranma was getting too powerful and it wasn't his time yet. In a few months the boy will have a legitimate shot at me, the master reasoned. Can't have the upstart take over quite yet. But Nabiki… How did _she_ know? Threats wouldn't work so maybe a different tact...

"What is it you want, exactly?"

Nabiki smiled inwardly. All that witty banter had been simply to lead Happosai by the nose to ask that question and the first step in negotiations. "I need your help with a problem."

Very curious, Happosai thought. "And what problem might that be?"

Time to lay the cards on the table. "Sometime next year you will lose control of your demon and it will kill those in this dojo and destroy the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts Legacy."

Happosai's eyes widened. What? Impossible! "When did you become a scrye, Nabiki Tendo?" He managed with dry humor.

"Six days ago, to be exact." Happosai's chuckling stopped suddenly. The child was serious. "You will lay waste to this dojo, and depending on the future, cripple or kill me, possible Ranma and Genma. But in every future I've seen, your legacy is broken because of your own arrogance." Then she smiled wickedly. "But at least Kasumi is happily married to Ono Tofu." She was rewarded by another small gasp from around the corner. What good was time travel if you couldn't have a just a little bit of fun with it?

The old master eyed Nabiki warily, looking for any sign of falsehood. There was none. "It's not the boy's time yet."

"Then why do you need a demon to hold control of the dojo?" She asked neutrally.

"I warn you Nabiki Tendo…"

"Yes, yes. We've been through that already." She waved his threat aside. "The terms of this negotiation are simple. Abandon your quest for power and relinquish your hold when Ranma defeats you in combat. Until then you may remain the undisputed master of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts." The terminology had been chosen by Ranma and edited by Nabiki to be forceful, but not outright insulting.

"How dare you--!"

"The demonic arts have no place in this Dojo, Master." She cut him off decisively. "You have about forty-five minutes to decide."

"And what happens after forty-five minutes?" The perverted master sneered.

An evil glint passed through Nabiki's eyes. "Ranma comes home and finds out something very unpleasant."

* * *

The moment he stepped onto the property, Ranma felt it. Not battle auras, but hostile intent. It wasn't hard to deduce the source, as there was only one person that could produce such animosity currently residing at the Tendo residence. The Old pervert. Ranma crossed the property, sampling the ambient power floating through the air. Yes, the old fart is pissed, but I'm not here, so who could he be pissed at? Ranma opened the door and padded in slowly, senses fully primed. He found the guest room with Nabiki and Happosai in a staring contest. How had she beat him home? And changed clothes already? 

"Time's up." Nabiki stated. Happosai simply stared, those waves of animosity cascading forth from him. "Make your decision. Accede to our demands or face the consequences."

Nabiki? Making demands of Happosai? That must be one hellva blackmail marker she has out on—

"I think I'll roll the dice." Happosai snorted with contempt. "If you're relying on Ranma to carry out your demands, you've been wasting your time here."

She nodded with something close to a smile, but never quite making it. She looked at Ranma for the first time since he walked in and pulled out one folded sheet of paper and one sealed envelope. The folded paper she had come to know by heart. The envelope was forbidden for her to view until opened by this Ranma, and only to be given if negotiations broke down. It was her Ranma's way of giving her the backup he couldn't provide personally. Her Ranma… How funny that sounds, Nabiki realized with some measure of regret. She was gaining insight into her future crippled-self daily, and not all of it was pleasant.

She walked over to him and there was no mistaking the questions in his eyes. "I'm sorry Ranma, we didn't want to have to go this far." Nabiki? Apologizing for what? She handed him the envelope and the paper. "The envelope first, please." Those were the instruction she had been given, so she gave them to this Ranma as well. He opened the envelope with care and even the old master was curious now. He unfolded the letter and began reading.

Nabiki saw the change. It was tiny and imperceptible, but all movement in his body stilled. Ranma shuffled the paper under and moved on to the next one, the one she knew all to well. Like the Ranma before him, this one's face drained of all blood as well, leaving a white and hollow mask. Both arms dropped to his sides and the letters fell to the ground. After what seemed like several minutes, life returned to the martial artist and a thin emotionless smile crept along his face.

"So that's the way it is."

The words no sooner escaped his mouth then a bright blue battle aura flashed into being around Ranma and his head pivoted to track on the old master, who was now somewhat shocked by the developments. Two letters did _that?_

"So tell me Ranma, my boy, what was—"

_CRAaaacCK!_

The first ki-blast caught the old master by surprise and the next thing he knew, found himself smoldering in a well dug crater outside on the Tendo property. That _hurt! _The old master got to his feet and found the boy stepping through the hole he had just created in the house wall. His entire demeanor was deadily ice.

"Boy, you're really push—"

_Cra-CRAaaacCK!_

Two more ki-blasts augured him deeper into the earth before he could finish, Ranma favoring him with his Moko Takabisha Double technique this time. The master's mind was racing now. What the hell was wrong with him! He wasn't holding back! Happosai jumped out of his crater now, no longer willing to engage in small talk. The boy was out for blood, no doubt about it.

The first bolt came as a shock to Nabiki as well. What the hell did Ranma write to himself? She thought she was going to have to explain—The next two cracks jolted her again and Ranma was now outside pressing the surprise attack. In the entire three years she had know the martial artist, there was never a time when he hadn't given some formal warning before starting a match. After it had begun was a different story, but never an outright attack. Then a voice answered back form deep inside her… Because this isn't a match. Saotome is playing for keeps.

Three pineapple bombs popped out of the smoke and Ranma deftly deflected them away before their fuses sizzled down. They exploded harmlessly away and he continued his advance on Happosai's position. The old man nodded at the boy. Fine. Happosai's movement was too fast to track as he blurred from sight and appeared three feet over Ranma's head, wielding his smoke pipe menacingly. He came down with a hard swipe, but Ranma had already flipped out of the strike and was in the air now himself, launching into a series of timed kicked that the master easily deflected. The pipe found a leg and countered, sending the pigtail boy tumbling through the air and across the courtyard. Regardless, the landing was graceful and Ranma switched stances to meet the incoming attacker who was literally bouncing toward him. The bounce turned into another blur and the Master was in front of him, smoke pipe working furiously to find a hole in Ranma's defense.

_"Katchu Tenshin Amaguriken!"_

Happosai's probing attack instantly turned into a desperate defense as his guard began to be overwhelmed by an onslaught of super-speed fists. Damn Amazon techniques! He fumed and found himself being pushed back across the property. He was keeping up with them …Barely. Ranma's fingers stretched out and the change in techniques took Happosai by surprise. What began as the Chestnut Fist instantly switched to the Haku Dato Shin Sho, and two fingertips found the old pervert with pinpoint accuracy. Pain cracked through Happosai as they strikes cut through his Ki fortified body and strait out the other side. The good news for the Pervert was that the area of damage affected by the strikes was relatively small. The bad news was he wasn't getting any taller.

The old man broke contact and flipped away, favoring an arm painfully. Even so, he smiled and counted down from five. …two …one. Ranma's left leg simply went numb and buckled, and the boy silently cursed, remember the one attack that had gotten through with the pipe.

A moxibustion point then, Ranma realized and Happosai renewed his attack. He was not happy. An arm for a leg was not a good deal in his book and an old rule of combat came to mind: Limiting your opponent's mobility is eighty percent of the battle. And now Happosai used that to his advantage. The old pervert bounced around Ranma attempting to lure Ranma out of his defensive crouch so he could finish the boy. Even as he flipped in for another attack, Ranma rolled onto one hand and pushed up, extending his good leg strait into the air, connecting solidly with the Master. It had been one of the simpler techniques and with his options limited, Ranma had not expected him to fall for the Yakitoi Gamati.

The Master bounced away once more and shook the impact from his head. Careless for falling for such a basic technique, he chided himself. Still, with his limited mobility I'll be able to pick him apart before the moxibustion point wears off. He watched Ranma jump into a swan stance, balancing on one good leg with arms high for attack and defense. It was a good strategy, but too limiting. Happosai blurred in once more to prove his point. While his first three attacks were deflected, the forth scored a ribcage and sent the boy flying into the dojo wall with a sickening thud. The dent in the wall was exceptional, but the boy was not out. Not yet at least. The Master charged his own ki blast and sent it downrange into the wall, promptly obliterating the section. Probably not the boy, he amended. Broke him maybe, but he was the heir, after all. He just needed a lesson in— Something screamed at the back of his head and Happosai looked skyward in time to find Ranma dropping in from directly above, riding a supercharged ball of ki to the ground.

Happosai barely cleared ground zero before the blast hit, producing a massive crater that blazed fire and ash. What the hell was the boy's problem! Happosai fumed in equal parts anger and amzement as Ranma limped from the dead zone of fire and debries. "Boy, I don't know what's gotten into you, but if you want to play rough—"

"Rough?" Ranma sneered as he painfully closed on Happosai. "I'm going to _kill_ you."

* * *

Nabiki, watching from the hole from the house froze. Ranma had only taken one fight to that level and _this_ Ranma hadn't seen that fight yet. That had been Safferon and he wasn't due to fight that battle for another three months. Even with that battle, the words 'Ranma' and 'kill' simply didn't find themselves in mutual company. He had only done it for Akane and she hadn't even gotten home from school yet. Nabiki ducked back into the living room to find the envelope, only to see Kasumi already holding and reading it. The look of absolute awe on her face was telling enough. 

She mumbled an apology to her sister and snatched the letter from her hand, reading what had previously been forbidden to her for the first time.

* * *

**"_H_**_ey Ranma, this is you writing this letter five months from now. Yeah, it has me confused too. The handwriting should be proof enough, but I'd still be skeptical. Hell, I was skeptical. So just in case, remember that night camping outside Zhan Quon? All alone with your girl-type? Enough said. You know damn well not another soul knows about __that night._

_Convinced yet? Good. Let's have a talk._

_Our future sucks. Not just the run of the mill day in and day out sucks that we usually have to deal with. Things have gone __very badly and it's all the Old Pervert's fault. He has refused to relinquish control of the Dojo and is using demonic forces to maintain that control. One day he will lose control of those demonic forces and destroy everything. The home we've strived so hard to keep. The friends we've tried to make. Us and Pop will die. Akane will be savagely wounded. Uuchan will take scars that will be with there for the rest of her life …And be alone. Nabiki will be crippled. Ryoga… Well, that's the only bright spot. He gets his. But the legacy is destroyed. Clan Saotome has been shattered. The Tendos are broken._

_This is our future._

_The Nabiki that gave you this letter is from the future as well. She's here to negotiate a truce with Happosai before he gets stupid, and she has my complete trust. I know, I never thought I'd be saying it either. She's our friend, Ranma, one of the few we have left. Listen to what she says._

_If you are reading this letter now, it means that Nabiki believes that further negotiations with the Pervert are a waste of breath. It means that he's still blinded by his own ambition and it means everything we cherish will be destroyed. If I could, I'd be there too, but apparently only one person can go back to us, and you know how great we are with negotiations anyway. In either case, those negotiations have failed and it's up to you to set things right. The other letter Nabiki will be handing you is our future as well. We lose everything in it. Everything that matters._

_Whatever it takes, Ranma Saotome. Those are the stakes._

_Ranma Saotome_

_March 14th, 1989."_

_

* * *

_

Even as the sounds of combat echoed around her, Nabiki stood stunned, then dropped to her knees. Two concepts raged for supremacy in her mind and she struggled to come to grips with everything she had just read. The first was the fact that her Ranma wasn't just providing back up with that letter. He had handed out a declaration of war, a war he knew his past self would willingly carry to the knife. The pig tailed boy sure didn't believe in half-measures. The second was the fact that she was his _friend_ and she knew damn well exactly how many of those he had. About the same number as she did. Ranma neither made friends easily or lightly, but the fact that he had… With her… And _trusted_ her of all things! What kind of fool could he possibly be to do that! Damn you, Saotome! Damn, damn, damn!

* * *

The Master had other things to worry about. The boy wasn't taking no for an answer. The loss of his leg and the blow to his ribcage had done nothing to deter the young martial artist from his assault and Happosai was finally beginning to realize that Ranma was playing for keeps. What had Nabiki given the boy? Ranma arced in for another attack and Happosai easily evaded it and retaliated with a few blows from his pipe, sending Ranma into the ground hard. The master watched as Ranma shook it off and the cold blue eyes came to bear on him once more. Killing eyes, the Master noted. Whatever she had given the Boy had him utterly convinced that there was only one way to end this battle. Happosai lept in for another strike and was met by a flying roundhouse kick, barely assembling his guard before the impact. The leg! The point has worn off and he's been biding his time then. Sneaky. The master rolled across the ground, recovering gracefully. 

"Alright, boy. Playtime's over." Happosai growled and began to smolder with ki energy, his battle aura became visible for the first time. "You're so eager to kill me? _Take your best shot._" The battle aura intensified suddenly and grew in size. Ranma watched as the aura topped six feet and continued to push higher.

The martial artist steeled himself. Two, maybe three broken ribs. Various cuts and lacerations. Ranma coughed and blood trickled from his lips. Add internal bleeding to the list then, he noted coolly. He had taken a beating, but this was it and it was time for the old man to fall. Ranma knew if he goaded or pressed him hard enough, this would be the fallback; His massive battle aura threatening to flatten anyone and anything in its way.

But he had been counting on that since the battle's first ki-blast.

Timing was critical and Ranma streaked in for his for his final attack. A giant battle aura fist slammed into the ground to intercept, but Ranma had shifted right suddenly, leaving a pulverized crater in his wake. The battle aura had cleared fifteen feet and continued to gain power as Ranma began to circle his opponent, picking up speed with each revolution. There was no hope in assaulting the pervert directly now, but this scenario was one the martial artist had been toying with for some time. It wasn't the first time he'd been exposed to the aura after all, but it hadn't been until Cologne's teaching of the _Hiryu Shoten Ha_ that Ranma had something of equal power work with. Against the battle aura of the Master, the base technique was useless. The opponent had to be led into a spiral in which Ranma had to be at the center to initiate, and there was no chance- no need even –for Happosai to commit to such a chase. That, and he had already been a victim of it once. Fat chance he'd be again.

But this time The Dragon would be _different_. Ranma continued to whip around Happosai and the Aura climbed over twenty feet. He knew the _Hiryu Shoten Ha_ worked on the ki differential between the respective combatants. The soul of ice was at the center and the rage of anger at the perimeter of the spiral, creating a deadly tornado effect that would brutally compress the victims on the outside and blow them skyward. Since Happosai wasn't likely to commit to such a spiral, Ranma initiated the untested tactic he had long since devised for this very contingency. The roles were reversed, Happosai the burning pillar of ki while Ranma circled him with the soul of ice. Another fist came down and missed. Now all Ranma had to do was feed the super-cooled whirlwind.

Happosai was pissed now. What did that upstart think he was doing? He had absolutely no chance of penetrating the Aura, which he could hold for hours if need be. It looked like that stupid Amazon dragon strike, but there was no way he'd step into that spiral. Besides, all Ranma was doing was circling him! The ice had to be at the center, but he was already there, so the technique would be impossible to— The whirlwind reached critical mass and Happosai sensed the change immediately. The air pressure slapped against his aura and began to compress it. What the hell! Happosai fed more power into the aura and the pressure intensified with the action. He spared a glace at the boy, who still streaked around him. What the _hell_ had the boy done!

The theory was a simple one: The standard _Hiryu Shoten Ha_ focused all it's power in the circling whirlwind. Reversed, it focused all that power into the center, sucking in the spiraling air and blasting it upwards out the center in what amounted to a miniature nuclear pillar of fire. It would be absolutely useless against multiple mobile opponents, but today, he only had one and as long as Happosai kept feeding his battle aura, the catalyst would be sustained. Ranma smilled grimly now. He was trapped. To keep the technique from harming him, he had to keep the battle aura up. But if he kept the battle aura up, he continued to feed the raging pillar of ki like a fire consuming raw gasoline. Unless he had miscalculated, keeping that barrier alive was probably consuming his reserves at an exponential rate, and when it dropped, he was screwed.

But there was a catch.

The whirlwind Ranma had initiated was now self-sustaining and Ranma was trapped as well. If he slowed down even for an instant, he'd be sucked into the old master's vortex with deadly consequences. Likewise breaking free, he noted as the vortex sucked air into the effect quite greedily. And like the master, he couldn't hold out forever and now his survival depended on him outlasting Happosai's aura. Once it was gone, there'd be nothing to fuel the pillar and it would die out naturally, allowing him to escape. All that mattered now was who would falter first.

Happosai strained against the pressure building up around him and he could feel the technique burning his aura away at an unbelievable rate. The Battle Aura he had mastered with an endurance of hours would be expended in minutes, and for the first time in a _long_ time, fear began to creep into his perverted psyche. There was a counter to every technique and his mind raced to formulate one for this one; only there wasn't enough time. He had reasoned the physics behind the attack easily enough and applauded the boy darkly. Here he thought his battle aura impenetrable, and here he was being crushed by its own power. He had come up with exactly one way to counter it, but that way required a gradual decrease in his power levels in order to equalized the pressure. Unfortunately it was far too late for that and he was losing ki too damn rapidly for the smooth transition. It would be a total collapse and in all likelihood, a fatal one. He nodded silently at the boy, who continued to blur around him. Well played. It'll probably kill you too, Ranma but I shouldn't have been so blind. Happosai smiled evilly now and fed his reserves into the aura. Time to see which of us dead men walking will fall first.

* * *

Akane had seen the pillar of light from the school and instantly knew where it was coming from. The dojo. She broke off from the theatrical club at a dead run and found herself joined by Nabiki, who was running home along the same path home. 

"What the heck is going on?" Akane yelled as the two cut through an alley. Her sister usually knew everything that was happening, but this time she was awarded a shrug.

"No idea! But it looks like Saotome's playing rough." Nabiki replied and the two rejoined the main street to their house.

Rough was an understatement, Akane thought. That pillar could be seen for miles. The power expenditure had to be enormous _and_ it continued to persist! Even as they rounded the corner, the thing continued to jet into the air like a beacon! The pair muscled past the crowd gathered at the gates and were greeted to an impossible sight—Ranma blurring around the old master, who stood in the center of the ki vortex that shot hundreds of feet into the air. Whatever it was was keeping the Master truly immobilized and the strain on the Pervert was obvious.

Ranma? Fight the Happosai? That wasn't a sparring tactic he was using! Akane had no idea what it was going to do on completion, but even she could feel the energy build-up. It was going to hurt. _Bad._ Nabiki nudged her sister, and Akane looked. Her eyes weren't on the attack, but on the dojo. The hole in the wall. The person standing there was… Nabiki! Akane looked from one to the other; identical in every way that mattered except for the school dress the Nabiki with her now wore. The new Nabiki made eye contact with Akane and her sister briefly but turned her attention back to the fight as did they.

Even as they watched, Happosai's concentration faltered. It was a small lapse and under any other condition, a forgivable one. But at the center of the vortex where the air pressure alone could crush steel, even a second's destabilization in his aura was all it took to upset the balance. The collapse was spectacular and the sisters watched as the Old Master's Battle Aura was instantly squashed back into the diminutive form that spawned it. The compression didn't stop there. Happosai had only a moment's worth of horror as this bones were crushed by a solid wall of air pressure and sucked upward into the burning pillar of ki that he himself had fed. When it was all said and done, the only thing that would hit the ground would be his ashes scattered to the wind while the pillar dissipated into a lazy glowing spiral.

The whirlwind broke suddenly and blew outward in explosive overpressure. Without its fuel source to bind it, that elemental genie now turned on the person who had put it to work and Ranma, tired beyond belief, bore the full brunt of that force. By itself, the shockwave might have been manageable. The stone property wall, parked car and two houses Ranma blew through were another matter. The watching crowd was also pushed back several feet, but nothing like being trapped in the whirlwind itself. Two sisters were the first from the crowd to stumble back to their feet, staring at the crater the technique had created. It was an inward spiral, sharpening to a skyward point at its center. Beyond it was the hole in the dojo wall that Ranma had exited and they followed the trail of destruction. The car's roof and doors were caved in and they picked their way through one devastated apartment, then another.

What they found at the end of the destructive trail defied belief and horrified them simultaneously. A lone girl knelt over the broken martial artist, who had been stopped by a buckled brick wall.

"Damn you, Ranma!" the girl was obviously distressed, sobbing. "Why did you have to go and be so damn selfless!"

Akane took a step closer and Nabiki stopped her suddenly with her arm. It was a gentle move, but there was no yielding in her eyes. Akane was about to protest when she took a closer look at the girl sobbing over him. It was… The Nabiki! The _other_ Nabiki!

"Dammit Ranma…" The sob came softly this time. "Why… did you push it so damn far..?" A cough issued from Ranma but it still wasn't clear whether he'd regain consciousness or not. "Do we really mean _that much_ to you…?"

The pair of sisters could only stand by and watch. Akane desperately wanted to run over to her fallen fiancée, but it wasn't just Nabiki's arm holding her back. It was morbid fascination. What in the heck was this new Nabiki doing here…? Crying over Ranma, of all things!

"Damn you…Why did you have to go and be my _friend_, Ranma…?" It was so soft that the standing Nabiki almost missed it, but she heard, and a small gasp escaped her lips. The Nabiki crouching over Ranma turned slowly to find the pair watching her. Nabiki observed her patented impenetrable mask envelope the other girl's face as she stood up, walking toward the pair.

"He's hurt. Badly. I've already called the paramedics." Both stared at The Nabiki as if she were a unicorn or some other mythical creature. With a final look at them both, she brushed by, walking back down the line of destruction.

Akane's Nabiki finally found her voice. "Wa- Where are you going?" The new Nabiki stopped short and turned on them, the edge of steel returning to her eyes.

"_I'm going to make sure this never happens again._"

* * *

**Chapter 006**

**N**abiki retrived the tablet from its hiding place among Akane's bricks behind the practice hall, the property being deserted as everyone focused on Ranma two blocks away. Even sirens were wailing through the air now from the paramedics she had called on her cell. Nabiki's mind was burning in overdrive now, washing away the grief with tactical foresight and scheming.

"Damn you, Saotome, what were you thinking…?" She muttered to herself, leaving the Dojo property and started in the opposite direction of the disaster. "You had to have suspected the outcome… You _knew_ the odds!" One thing was for sure now: She didn't dare release her anchor on this timeframe. God only knew what she would find in her present now that Ranma was all but crippled for life, while Akane and the other Nabiki saw me together. They were going to start asking Kasumi some pointed questions who had read Ranma's letter himself, which told the whole story. She was sure their future dojo was safe now, but the price had been very, _very_ high. Too high. Especially now. Damn you, Ranma! Does it always have to be like this for you? Every single goddamn scenario we come up with gets you hurt!

Nabiki had been willing to settle for the dojo when this started. As long as it stood at the end of the day, she'd be happy. Whatever it took to keep her home safe. But then Ranma had taken up that charge as well and it became personal for them both. Akane had become hysterical with jealousy. The parents were worthless. All she had was Saotome, who swallowed everything she had done to him over the years and _trusted_ her. Worked with her. And declared her _his_ _friend_. Her _damn friend_. Damn you Saotome, why is there never anybody to watch _your_ back? You bumbling, arrogant jerk! A single tear dripped onto the sidewalk. _My friend_.

She stopped on the sidewalk now, tactical mindset kicking into high gear. The dojo was no longer enough. It wasn't just a problem with the time required or even a finding a key event to neutralize Happosai. The problem was the dojo's environment as a whole. It was a spinning wheel of self-destruction in and of itself. Everything from Ranma and Akane, to his rivals and the fiancées of doom. There was no foundation to adequately deal with a crisis, and Nabiki finally realized one crystal clear truth: The continued festering therein would ultimately lead to its destruction, be it by Happosai's hand or something else.

It had to change.

_All of it._

But how? Akane was the key, Nabiki realized. That relationship created a fault line through the dojo so huge as to undermine every other effort anybody might take to strengthen it, let alone their meddling in time. If that relationship could be strengthened- hell, if it could actually be made to _work_ –it would probably nullify half the dojo problems easily. Finances. Conflicts. Everything. She considered Ranma and decided against interfering in his life. Akane was the known quantity in this equation. She had grown up with the girl. Most of Ranma's life still remained in the shadows after three years under their roof and it was just too risky to start pulling strings in the dark like that. Akane then. Where to start?

That's when the full weight of what Nabiki was actually considering came to bear on her. The girl was _a project_. As if I'm any better, she admitted, but Akane had deep-seated issues concerning Ranma. First there was his girl-type, and she remembered full well the sister's first reaction when she found out about his curse. Doomed from the start, and something tells me that wouldn't change without massively influencing her development, and not just from one point. It would be like a damn time warp therapy session, Nabiki thought grimly. Dammit, dammit, dammit. I'm a mercenary, not a matchmaker and the more I screw around with the past, the easier it becomes turn our quaint little nightmare into a full-blown apocalypse.

_Whatever it takes…_

Easy for you to say, Nabiki answered the small voice that bubbled up from the darkeness. Everything we come up with gets the dojo destroyed or you killed. What's your answer to that?

_Whatever it takes…_

I can't change Akane, Ranma. You know that. It'd blow up in our faces faster than your father shoveling down a meal. But the status quo can't keep going on like this. It's crippling the dojo.

_Whatever it—_

Fine! I heard you the first time! Neutralizing Happosai is no longer an option. He's only a symptom of the problem. You and Akane make it worse. Nabiki paused in her mental dialogue and was answered with silence. Ok, let's take this logically. Happosai is a threat, but he isn't _the_ problem. The problem is the stability of the dojo. The stability- or lack thereof –is a consequence of your life and your engagement to Akane. The reason why the engagement is such a problem is because you two simply don't get along. You both try. And sometimes it works. But it doesn't last. Akane has no self-control and you need somebody who can manage you when you're being stubborn and arrogant. Akane can't. The dojo cannot stand on a foundation like that. Nabiki paused once more, frowning on where this logical conclusion was taking her.

She brought the Tablet up from her side and stared it. Yes. That was it. If the dojo was going to stand at the end of the day, there was only one person she could trust with the job besides Ranma. Nabiki punched her target time into the Tablet and her finger hovered above the red execute key.

All right, Saotome. Whatever it takes.

* * *

_July 22nd, 1977, The Past_

The family was gathered around the gravestone, and a single tear rolled down Soun Tendo's cheek. Their friends had gone home and they were the only ones who remained, his daughters Kasumi, Nabiki and Akane, whom he held in his arms asleep. He was almost happy she would be too young to clearly remember the details of her mother's passing, and in some ways wished she could have known more of that light in his life. He looked over to his eldest daughter, who was enduring like her mother would have. Nabiki's face was a mask devoid of emotion. Soun sighed. She would come to terms with it in her own time.

The crunch of a twig cause Soun Tendo to glance behind him, finding an older teenager who first looked at him, then the grave they were gathered at. The two girls stared at her curiously. "May I help you…Miss?"

The stranger produced a small smile, one appropriate for the gravity of the moment. "I… I'm sorry to disturb you. We… Natsumi Tendo and I would shop together on occasion…"

Soun nodded in understanding. A friend of his wife would always be welcome here. She stood with them in silence for a few minutes, then looked down at the closed-up Nabiki Tendo at her father's side.

The woman considered her thoughtfully for a moment and knelt down to her height. "You're mom was a very special person, you know that?" The girl looked up at her and surprise broke through the mask. "And I just know that one day you're going to meet a boy as special as your Mom is." Soun watched the two and couldn't help but to smile softly now as the woman tried to cheer his daughter up.

"I… I will?" The little Tendo ventured out of her shell.

The woman smiled brightly now. "I know you will. He'll be handsome and strong. Honorable and selfless… He'll be the best friend you'll ever have, Nabiki Tendo."

Seven-year-old Nabiki looked at the stranger with wide eyes now. "When do I get to meet him?"

"Not for a bit yet." She replied. "Both of you have some growing to do before you can meet somebody _that_ special."

"You mean I'm special to him too?"

The woman nodded. "Very. Trust your father, Nabiki. He'll find the right boy, okay?"

"Okay!" The little girl said with spirit.

The stranger started to draw herself to full height, but paused as if remembering something, settling back down to her crouch. "Want to hear a secret?" The girl nodded enthusiastically. She loved secrets! The woman whispered in her ear, "He _loves_ martial arts." A silent '_Oooh…_' formed on Nabiki's face and the woman finally stood back up.

She looked at Kasumi for a moment. "I _know_ you'll have a wonderful boyfriend too." The girl blushed but held her peaceful smile. The woman turned back to Soun. "Thank you for letting me stay. It means… A lot to me."

Soun Tendo nodded. "Any friend of my wife is always welcome." He offered his hand and she shook it warmly. "What did you say your name was, Miss?"

She withdrew her hand and smiled. "Thank you, Mister Tendo," And simply walked away.

* * *

She rounded the corner out of sight and slumped against the wall with a heavy sigh. That was much harder than she thought it was going to be, Nabiki Tendo thought with a hint of saddness. That memory had been on the edge of fading away entirely, but one step onto the cemetery grounds brought it all back in vivid detail. Of course, there had been no mysterious woman to cheer her up and give her hope in those memories. But pretty soon it wouldn't matter either way and she absently noted that daddy looked better without a mustache. 

The cemetery had been her last stop in this timeframe, and she pulled the Tablet from her book bag for what would probably be the last time. Nabiki smiled now. She had planted all the seeds she dare plant in the little Nabiki, and if there was one thing she knew for sure, it was that the little child would _never_ forget a secret. God, who would have ever thought I'd end up ruthlessly manipulating _myself?_ Of course the little added insurance she had mailed off earlier was probably overkill too, but Ranma was right. Whatever it takes.

Even as she hit the Release key on the Tablet, she knew one thing with certainty… Her _home_ would be standing when she returned.

* * *

_March 15th, 1989, 6:15pm, Present_

_**"AHhHHHHhhhAAAR!"** _

A sledgehammer crashed through Nabiki's head and she clutched it, collapsing onto her bed under the onslaught as eighteen more years of memories seared themselves into her brain, vying for space. The world shuddered around her and the torrent continued. The pitch of the onslaught spiked and Nabiki's world went black.

_"Biki-chan…?"_

She knew that voice… She liked it… But it was so far away and the blackness surrounded her…

_"Biki-chan…?"_

The voice was very insistent… I want to rest… go away…

_"Nabs…!"_

Nabiki's eyes fluttered, the name bringing her fully awake. "Don't call me Nabs…" She state with groggy determination. Her vision began to clear and she felt a strong arm around her body. It was familiar. Comforting. She looked up and found Ranma with a concerned look on his face.

"If you would have woke up the first time I wouldn't have had to use the 'N' word." He quipped, feigning disinterest. But she knew him too well to be fooled and his mask broke into a concerned smile. He gave her a light kiss on the forehead. "Are you Okay?"

"How long was I…" Nabiki's face paled suddenly. Ranma was… She knew him too well… Biki-chan…! She looked up at Ranma in shock. The arm around her. How it felt so natural. Like that place was reserved for it and it alone. She gasped.

_"The memories…!"_

_

* * *

_

"But you said you would teach me!" The little girl exclaimed with indignation, none too happy with her father's decision.

"Now Nabiki, little girls don't need to learn martial arts." Soun Tendo admonished the daughter that stood before him. She had outfitted herself in a gi, ready to practice. "You should take up cooking like Kasumi!"

"I don't want to _cook!_" She countered. "I want to learn martial arts like _you!_"

Soun considered the little seven year old carefully. It had only been one month after the death of his wife and the girl was becoming quite insistent on the topic. But it brought back too many memories of Na-chan… "Now why would you want to learn The Art, Nabiki?"

The girl's eyes sparkled now. "Because my _boyfriend_ loves martial arts!" She practically swooned with the word.

The father's mouth fell open. "Your… Boyfriend?" Little Nabiki nodded enthusiastically. "Which boyfriend is that?" Had she met somebody at school? Because she couldn't possible mean…

"The one you'll find me!" She beamed with pride.

Soun Tendo face planted into the floor. How could she possible…! True, He and Genma had entered into that arrangement with his boy as well, but they had been keeping that a secret! The kids weren't supposed to know that yet! And how had the little girl known he was being trained in The Art! Soun blinked. He was at a total loss of words for his daughter.

So she supplied some in his place. "Akane wants to learn too!" With that, a little girl bounced into the room with a smile and took up a position next to her taller sister.

"Yeah! I wanna learn!" Soun took a second face plant into the wooden floor. Was this a conspiracy!

"And why do you want to learn, Akane? Wouldn't you rather learn to, um, cook?"

"_Cooking?_" She was absolutely aghast at the idea. "I wanna have fun with sis!"

"Daddy's boyfriend is _mine_." She reminded her little sister in no uncertain terms.

"Boys? _Yuck!_"

Soun Tendo studied the two carefully. This was more than a slight deviation from the plan, which said nothing about his daughters becoming full-fledged martial artists. Marry a martial artist, yes. Become ones themselves? And so soon after… Na-chan. It was a chapter of his life he just wanted to close.

Even at seven, Nabiki had a quick wit about her and saw the indecision in her father's face. It was time for some ruthless daughterly wheedling.

"Plleeeeasssse, Daddy!"

Akane latched onto her plea quickly. "Yeah daddy, Pleeeeeeaaassee!"

"Pretty Pleeeeaaassee! We promise to be good student!"

"Yeah! Pleeeaaasssee!"

Soun clutched his head. "OKAY! Okay!" He looked at the two intently now. "It won't be easy. You have to practice every day! Miss once and the training stops." He warned them. That last clause oughta get him out of it.

"Every day!" Nabiki confirmed with glitter in her eyes.

"Not once!" Akane confirmed brightly.

Soun watched the pair with a sense of dread. Oh, what have I gotten myself into now, Na-chan?

* * *

A seventeen-year-old Nabiki Tendo lay on her bed engrossed in a colorful teen tabloid magazine. Truth be told, she was having a hard time concentrating on anything lately as the day of Ranma's arrival was close at hand. She chuckled, remembering how daddy had tried to keep it a secret, but failed miserably in the attempt. Not that it could have ever been a secret from _her_, just that he was so bad at keeping one. Besides, she had been waiting on this Ranma a _long_ time. It was about time daddy's boyfriend got around to showing up and the estimate was sometime this month. 

"Nabiki! Letter here for you!" Kasumi called from down stairs.

"Just put it on the table." She replied.

"I can't. You have to _sign_ for it!" Kasumi answered.

Sign for it? A letter? Was it certified or something? She hoped off the bed and trotted down stairs in her cutoffs and tank top, finding Kasumi at the door with a deliveryman. He handed her a clipboard which she promptly signed, then received the letter. She took it carefully because it looked _old_. The deliveryman waited expectantly.

"Any reason you're still here?" Nabiki asked casually and the man snapped out of his trance.

"Oh! Sorry! Just a bunch of us at the office were curious as to who would get that letter and what was in it." The man smiled now. "After all, it's not often we hold a letter from 1977 with specific instructions _not_ to be delivered until this very day."

Both sisters looked at one another, then to the old letter in Nabiki's hands. On hold for nearly _ten years?_ Nabiki simply walked back into the house, deliveryman forgotten. Kasumi politely waved him farewell and joined her sister in the living room. Chores could wait for something like _this_. The middle sister sliced the envelope open easily with a nail and gently pulled out the letter inside, unfolding it. Nabiki read it and for once, Kasumi had no respect for her privacy.

* * *

_"**N**abiki Tendo, I hope this letter finds you in good health. If you remember your mother's funeral, you will also remember the secret I shared with you that day, and I know you __never forget a secret. I do not bring this up lightly, but only to refresh your memory of that day and who I am._

_Assuming this letter is delivered on the exact day and time I have specified, Ranma Saotome, heir to the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts will be arriving at your dojo tomorrow, sometime in the early afternoon. It is also tomorrow that everything I told about that special boy so many years ago will pass. He has endured many hardships through the years just to get to you, and is only nowfinding out about the arrangement his father made with yours. In understanding that, be patient with him. Ranma also has a secret, but remember that he is everything I told you: Handsome, strong, honorable and selfless… And he'll be the best friend you'll ever have._

_I wish I could be there to watch your meeting because I know it will be wonderful, and in a way, I will be there. Unfortunately my next contact with you cannot be until March 15th, 1989 at exactly 6:15pm, assuming all goes according to plan._

_Until then, I wish you and Ranma happiness and prosperity."_

_

* * *

_

Nabiki sucked in the breath she had been holding as she re-read the letter for the third time. What in the world…? Of course she remembered the secret _and_ the woman quite clearly, but a letter from ten years ago? She turned to Kasumi, who was reading the letter over her shoulder. The older sisters eyes were quite wide now.

"Oh my." She stated with a slight edge of disbelief. "I might have to snatch him from you after a letter like that." A playful scowl crossed Nabiki's face and Kasumi smiled. "Of course you _have_ had dibs on him since you were seven."

Nabiki smiled as well, producing a confident nod. "Besides, if I remember the lady correctly, she mentioned something about you having a wonderful boyfriend too."

Kasumi thought back to the day through the haze of memory. "I think you're right. But I just have one question…" Kasumi pointed to the letter in Nabiki's hand.

"Why is it in your handwriting?"

* * *

"Wow! China!" Nabiki Tendo exclaimed. Yesterdays mysterious letter had forewarned her of Saotome's imminent arrival today, but she had not expected them to have journeyed to China, of all places. Clearly this Ranma was a man of the world, much to her delight. 

"What's so great about walking to China?" Akane Tendo grumbled and brushed a lock of her long cobalt blue hair aside in annoyance.

Nabiki ignored her. "Is he cute?"

"How old is he?" The eldest sister, Kasumi Tendo wondered with idle curiosity. "Younger men bore me." Especially younger men already claimed by her sister at age seven, she thought with mild amusement.

Niether sister could stand it any longer. "What kind of guy _is_ this Ranma?" Both Nabiki and Kasumi asked simultaneously. Aside from those contained in the letter, they were sorely lacking in details and curiosity was eating them alive.

Soun Tendo shrugged. "No idea."

Nabiki leaned forward, trying to confirm what she had just heard. "No Idea?"

"I've never met him." The father had indeed said it.

All three sisters were about ready to protest when the sounds of close quartered combat erupted from outside, followed by somebody saying something about letting go of something. It was obviously a brawl and the family leapt from the table to get a better view.

"Ooooh! It must be Ranma!" Nabiki ran outside with anticipation, the father following close behind.

He instinctively knew who it was. "Saotome, my friend, we've been waiting!"

Even as Kasumi and Akane reluctantly joined their sister and father, they were surprised to find them retreating just as fast with a Giant Panda in hot pursuit.

"Hey! _YO!_" the redhead slung over its shoulder exclaimed suddenly. "You're scaring 'em spitless!"

Chaos erupted from the Tendo sisters as they press their father for information, who clearly hadn't been expecting a Panda to take up residence in their dojo. The bear stopped short, planting the redheaded stranger promptly in front of the four.

After a few seconds, Soun Tendo pointed. "You …wouldn't be…"

"Ranma Saotome." The newcomer confirmed shyly. "Sorry 'bout this,"

Soun had no idea what the boy had meant by that last comment but was clearly overjoyed regardless, grasping Ranma by the shoulders. "At last! You've come!"

Nabiki leaned forward. "Ooo! _He's cute!_"

Soun pulled his future son in-law into a hug and suddenly froze. He was remarkably soft in the chest area. The father pushed him back to confirm what was becoming a growing sense of horror. Soun looked the boy over, as did the daughters upon seen his reaction.

Nabiki poked at the boy's ample chest as if to believe it herself.

"Um, could you please stop that?"

For Nabiki, there was only one inescapable conclusion. "He' Is a GIRL."

Soun Tendo simply passed out.

* * *

"This is all your fault, Daddy!" Nabiki laid into her now semi-conscious father, clearly upset that her cute guy had turned into a cute girl. Especially after getting the letter that was on hold for nearly a decade! What kind of practical joke was this! "You should have made sure!" 

"Well he said he had a SON!" The father protested from his futon where he'd been dragged after passing out.

Nabiki grasped one of Ranma's breast and gave it a few good squeezes to prove her point. "Do _you_ see a son here? _Hmmm?_ DO you?"

The redhead was clearly uncomfortable now "Um… I really wish you'd stop that."

Nabiki sighed. Well, no reason to be inhospitable I guess... "Sorry about that. Hey, join me in the practice hall." She smiled. "I'm Nabiki. You want to be friends?" She led the girl to the dojo practice hall and smiled brightly.

"You do karate, don't you?" Nabiki pressed the question as they stepped onto the mat. A legitimate question in her eyes, since every other piece of information on Ranma Saotome appears to have been wrong so far.

Akane had tagged a long just so she could see how good this newcomer was. She would have loved to take a crack at the new girl herself, but Nabiki was pulling rank, much to her dismay.

"A little."

"Then let's have _a little_ match, Okay?" Nabiki smiled. "Just for fun. Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

Nabiki stepped in for her first attack, which tagged nothing but air as the redhead jump to clear it. The Tendo responded by throwing up a kick, which was also immediately dodged as well. Ranma landed lightly and Nabiki was already there with another punch-kick combo, both of which were promptly evaded.

"'A little' my butt." Nabiki retorted with a smile and Ranma did so in kind. The girl was fast, and Nabiki was pleased to find at least one aspect of her information on the Saotome was correct. She nodded. "For real then."

Akane smiled. This was going to be fun. Nabiki 'for real' was always a joy to watch and spar with. She wasn't quite as powerful as the youngest sister, but she was _fast _and beat her on a regular basis. Of course, Akane wouldn't be caught dead sparring in cutoffs and a tank top like her was doing now, but different tastes and all that.

Nabiki slid in and tumbled into an aerial roundhouse kick that took the redhead by surprise, and she barely cleared the strike zone in time. She was pleased to see a look of surprise register on the girl's face. The surprise was quickly replaced by a wider smile. Now you'll take me seriously, Nabiki mused and continued the offensive, spinning off the leg that had just touched the floor into a series pinpoint kicks, a few of which Ranma was actually force to block as she sidestepped. The blocks were clean and efficient, Nabiki noted, deflecting the point of impact just to where they hit air and nothing else. She fired off another kick and the redhead used it as leverage to flip behind her. Nabiki instinctively dropped low to guard against any strike and spun into a low leg sweep. The redhead hopped out lightly, but had to block the hard kick that Nabiki carried upward, having shifted her balance from one leg to the other. Nabiki flipped up from her crouch to strike but Ranma was already up and away and… She froze as a light finger tapped her on the back of the head.

She turned to find the red head looking at her with a small grin. The grin turned into a cheerful giggle. Nabiki couldn't help herself and found herself smiling and laughing in spite of herself. "Whew… You're pretty good." She complimented as she left the practice hall. "I only hope my boyfriend turns out to be as good as you."

* * *

Nabiki stripped out of her sweat drenched tank top and shorts. Even if nothing else had gone right today, Ranma impressed her. She had to go all out just to get the blocks out of girl, let alone scoring even a single hit. Definitely holding back, Nabiki decided, and was glad the girl hadn't gone on the offensive. She tossed her clothes into the waiting basket and slid the bath door open… 

…And found a naked boy stepping out of the tube. The moment that passed seemed like an eternity. While under normal circumstances a naked boy stepping out of her bath wasn't exactly a bad thing in her opinion, it might have helped if she knew the naked boy in question. Unfortunately, she did not. Without a word, she stepped back across the threshold and slid the door shut.

"Is there a good reason why I shouldn't just kill you now?" She asked icly through the thin door. She could do it too. Of course, Akane would probably have just run out and drowned him with a heavy stone, but different tastes and all that.

"I'm Ranma Saotome." The embarrassed reply was muffled, but clearly audible. "Sorry 'bout this."

* * *

The entire family now sat in the family room, the Tendo sisters facing the two Saotomes. Soun made introductions. 

"I'll explain it once more." He began, sitting beside the newcomers themselves. "This is my dear old friend…"

"Genma Saotome." The older man with glasses and a white handkerchief around his bald head supplied. "And this is my son…"

"Ranma." The boy rounded out the introductions.

The tree sisters questioned the pair in disbelief. Genma decided a visual aid was in order and expertly grabbed his son and flipped him into the koi pond outside. What broke the surface was quite female and quite upset. Not only that, she took offense to his expressions of humiliation over his son's condition, which promptly earned him a one way kick to the koi pond courtesy of the girl herself. The resulting splash produced one giant, irritated panda. It took several minutes and two cups of hot water for things to settle down enough so that a reasonable explanation could be had.

That explanation was Jyusenkyou and its cursed springs as Ranma's father detailed the salient points of their adventures abroad in China. What should have been a fifteen minute tale lasted a half an hour as the recounted story opened some not so old wounds. The ensuing battle turned father to Panda and Son to girl. Having straitened things out, Soun Tendo turned the panda back into his old friend with a kettle of boiling hot water while Ranma declined the invitation to second-degree burns.

"No sweat." Soun Tendo declared, having a firm grasp of the situation now. "Your problem isn't so terrible after all!" Ranma looked at the Tendo with doubt as he presented his daughters. "My daughter Kasumi. Ninteen. Nabiki, Seventeen and Akane, Sixteen. Pick the one you want and she's your fiancée."

Kasumi and Akane instantly looked at Nabiki, who had already staked her claim a full ten years ago. Nabiki kicked the matter around in her head as all the pieces finally clicked into place. Now that Ranma's secret was known, the mystery letter written in her own handwriting had proven correct on every single claim. It had predicted the secret, the date of his arrival, his hardships in China and of course, the fact that he was handsome If his naked psyche were any indication, strong too. She'd have to take the 'honorable' and 'selfless' part at face value, as he hadn't any chance to demonstrate those facets of his personality yet… Now if he had some brains behind that cute face…

Well, maybe not the cute face 'she' currently wore, Nabiki amended. That was another consideration. At least he's cute as a girl, I guess. All things considered, there were a lot worse things than turning into a cute girl every now and then. Of course, if it _was_ me that wrote that letter, which was alien concept in itself. It would seem I knew quite a bit about Ranma Saotome… And still recommended him. To me. Or something like that.

She gave the girl in front of her a long, penetrating look, who still looked to be in a state of semi-shock. It would seem that the letter was right on that account too. He clearly wasn't prepared for this situation. Of course, if I hadn't, I probably would have pushed him off on Akane. Damn this is confusing. Well, I doubt I shouldn't start second guessing myself… And he did have a _great_ body, she smiled mentally, remembering their bathroom meeting.

She let the smile cross her face too. "I would like to accept the engagement, if Ranma doesn't have any objections."

The girl blinked in surprise. It was clearly the last thing he had been expecting after their previous encounter, and a light shade of red crossed his face.

"N- No objections." Ranma's heart skipped a beat. Who was he to argue? Nice _and _cute to boot.

* * *

**Epilogue**

The memories continued to pour into eighteen-year-old Nabiki's mind as Ranma held her close, strengthening her. There was less chaos and turmoil, but there were so many…

There was the first meeting with Ryoga, in which she helped negotiate a cease-fire between the two rivals that would eventually turned both into good friends thanks to her efforts. There was Ukyo, who took some time and battles to convince that Ranma neither abandoned her and that he was off limits as a fiancée. With some luck and smooth maneuvering on her part, Ryoga and Ukyo were now going steady. Shampoo of course, remained a thorn in their side, but once Ranma began teaching Nabiki his side of The Art, Shampoo couldn't _touch_ her, let alone press the claim as a fiancée. Ranma did prove to be the honorable and selfless type, immediately striking out to find a job when Nabiki's explained to him that her income wouldn't support everybody. He found himself working as Doctor Tofu's apprentice given his detailed knowledge of martial arts anatomy and was becoming quite accomplished with pressure points and moxibustion technique. With an accepting fiancée, he was also coming to terms with his girl-type and could walk around in it quite naturally anymore. It was still tough to get him in a dress for obvious reasons, however. The courtship between the Doctor and Kasumi had began much earlier than expected and was proceeding at a fine clip thanks to Ranma's coaching of _his_ Sensei, steadily decreasing the Doctor's anxiety attacks at the mere mention of the sister's name. Meanwhile, Akane seemed to have finally taken a fancy to Kuno as of late, whose flowery prose always seemed to disarm the girl's healthy head of steam… Late bloomer, Nabiki decided.

Any threats to the dojo were quickly countered, as Ranma could not only rely on a skilled and level-headed fiancée for back up, but Ryoga and Ukyo as reliable friends, who were no slouches themselves. As Nabiki improved at Ranma's hand, Ukyo did with Ryoga. The added benefit to that relationship was that Ukyo kept the man on a leash at almost all times, preventing him from wandering off and getting lost. Threats like the Musk Dynasty were dealt decisive blows and even the pervert Happosai had learned not to push his luck. Individually, none could guarantee a win against him, but together they provided and effective counterbalance that greatly subdued his ambitions. And while Ranma still faced Saffron alone, he wasn't distracted worrying about his fiancée, who could easily hold her own now. Once again, he defeated the demi-god, this time using his own techniques and none of Amazon origin. In a few months, Ranma would get his teaching license and…

Nabiki blinked past the memories and stared into Ranma's warm and concerned eyes. He would never know how much they both had to go through just to get to this point, but she now knew without a doubt why that Nabiki from the future- crippled and all –smiled so much for Ranma. The Tablet had not returned with her from that final trip, but she didn't care. It was no longer necessary.

She was in the arms of the man she loved and the dojo _had_ stood at the end of the day, just like they had promised one another.

**_End._**

**_

* * *

_**

**Authors notes:**

_**I** was honestly thinking about scrapping this story at around page three because there were already so many good Nabiki+Ranma match-ups out there. It didn't start out as a time-travel tale either, but the more I thought on the idea, the more I liked it. One thing I did not want to do was fall into the trap where Nabiki is mourning the original fiancée decision and goes back solely for that purpose. I wanted there to be a thicker plot and develop that romance as a byproduct and ultimately a tactical necessity instead of merely a girl's whim. I especially liked how it was only through their continued failure could Nabiki begin to see Ranma as a real person and not a means to an end. Anyway, I hope you like it too._

**Time travel:** _Oh, don't even ask me questions on this, because I have trouble keeping my own temporal mechanics strait as it is. Yes, I know there are holes. It was just the best way I could find around some of the sticky and inevitable paradoxes._

**Snatch and Grab:** _Some may notice that I outright copied and pasted some of the text from my fiction Bits of China, simply because I didn't want to re-write the manga dialogue from scratch in Chapter 6._

**Natsumi Tendo:** _Yes, Na-chan. Best I can come up with, so not another word :p I didn't get into the her death in detail, but I had to fudge the ages of the daughters a bit due to the total lack of information here._

**Times and Ages:** _This is where I'll get hammered the most as I don't have a proper timeframe in which the books took place. I used the actual dated the series was published as the baseline, circa 1987. I have assumed a year and some change has passed since Ranma's arrival, thus the story takes place in 1989 and Nabiki's future 1990. Since Nabiki is seventeen years old at the start of the series, we estimate her birthday to by 1970 and I decided her mother's death will take place at age seven, thus 1977._

**Back to the Future:**_ If chapter 6 smacked a little of Back to the Future II with the mystery letter, that's ok. I thoug_ht it would be _the most logical plot device to use when contacting a person at a specific date and time from the past. That, And I loved Back to the Future._


End file.
